How Do You Feel About ME?
by Em Pataki
Summary: Was Arnold really as shocked as he appeared when hearing Helga's second confession, or had he believed all along her words on FTi were more than just the heat of the moment?
1. Chapter 1

**GUEST REQUEST**

 _PROLOGUE_

The look of anticipation in Helga's eyes, holding her hands close to her chest as she listened to her beloved reveal what she was sure to be the words she had been longing to hear…

 _Do you ever feel like, there's a hole in your heart?_

Finally, he was opening up to her. It didn't matter how open _she_ was now; the boy of her dreams was implying he had felt the same way all along.

 _Yes! All the time!_

So what if he turned away from her? The anxiety remained inside this overwhelmingly passionate girl, knowing her plan was working out perfectly. Perhaps it wasn't even necessary. What if he had felt that way all along? A smile remained on this hopeless romantic pre-teen as she listened to her beloved continue on.

 _This whole trip's been about one thing_

She knew what it was. All she had to do was refrain from falling into her old habits. Not allow her insecurities to ruin a sensitive moment between her and her beloved.

 _I want to find my lost parents._

He asked if she had ever felt as though there was a hole in her heart. These words had just _shattered_ it. More than that. All through the years, she dealt with the pain of not allowing herself to take credit for any sweet gesture she made towards him. There was no way she could risk implying she may have some sort of feelings for him. All she could do was spend day after day...night after night...dreaming he would one day walk up and say he had felt the same way all along.

Now here she was standing on top of the boat in San Lorenzo (a trip she had won him); listening to him go on about how badly the trip could end, rather than thanking her for getting him there to begin with.

Enough was enough. There's only so much disappointment a person can take. After having the solution to your greatest problem snatched away, what is there to fear? The hope you'll one day make it out of this petrifying state at last confirmed you were just wasting your time caring. There's only so much patience a person can have until their intense fear turns to complete annoyance.

 _Yeah, yeah, I know all about your parents. How do you feel about ME?!_

How _did_ he feel about her at that point? _Did_ he feel something for her? They agreed their moment on FTi was no more than the heat of the moment. Why bother allowing her to treat him so terribly if that was how he really felt? If he in his heart, truly couldn't stand her, why not just stand up to her? As great a person as he was, he had done it to people before…

Wolfgang

Big Gino

Rex Smythe Higgins

Whether or not that was true, this was the last thing the worried boy was expecting to hear. After all, Helga had a reputation to protect. Why would she be so desperate to have someone (him of all people) make her look weak in any way.

 _Huh?_

What more did she have to do? She had just gotten him to San Lorenzo! Whether or not her words on FTi were true, she was the reason they saved the neighborhood. The money for the city float came from her dad. She chose his side when Mighty Pete was in trouble. She helped clean the vacant lot; was on their baseball team. She found his hat for crying out loud!

 _You wouldn't even BE here without me! Oh Arnold I may act like I don't care, I may even say I hate you, but that's a cover. I actually DO care about you._

Was it really that hard to believe? Sure she could be aggressive, had an attitude, and wasn't the perfect candidate for the newest edition of Pre-Teen Miss. Regardless of this, she still hung out with him. No matter how annoyed she seemed with his ideas, she stood by him. Aside from Gerald, Helga had proven herself to be his most loyal friend.

 _Huh?_

Apparently it wasn't enough. He shared the same feelings, but not the ones she was hoping for. Just like her, he wasn't willing to confess anything he may be hiding from her. The only difference was, there was no kidding herself. Without a doubt in her mind, Helga knew he was the one for her. Arnold may have known deep down they were meant for each other, but it wasn't so obvious to him. They were still so young; what was the rush? She wasn't going anywhere.

 _Don't play dumb Arnold, you know what I'm talking about! You're like some weird old wiseman for crying out loud! I KNOW you can handle the truth, and I can too!_

The truth. Did she know she could, or was she just sick of it all? Did she know if this amazing gesture (getting him to San Lorenzo) wasn't enough to prove her feelings, it was time to give up? Had she known she was capable of revealing her most intimate guarded secret all along, or did something happen between them recently?

 _What are you talking about?_

Yes, she was a great friend. Any great friend would be willing to go to extraordinary lengths to show they care about you though. Gerald had stood by his side through his toughest times, no matter how badly he disapproved of the situation. Here she was grabbing him by his shirt collar, insisting that had to be enough however. Enough to do more than imply, it was more than friendship.

He was the smartest kid in their class when it came to solving dilemmas. Even when the answer to a desperate situation seemed affirmatively negative, he held onto his optimism. Now here she was passing out what seemed to her to be the most obvious clues a person could give about their feelings. More than clues. She was spilling her guts, and yet, he believed there had to be more to it than that. Only rather than searching for the positive side to this situation, he was looking past it, trying to find a negative answer.

 _I'm TALKING about the fact that I REALLY like you Arnold. Like thunder likes lightning. Like faces like fists._

How much clearer could she be? He had always assured her there was more to her than her aggressive attitude. He told her he believed deep down, she was a nice normal person, and maybe one day, she wouldn't be afraid to show it.

Here she was, proving it to him. Showing him he couldn't have been more right. She was more than nice, more than sensitive, she was passionate!

After Arnold spent years expressing his overly optimistic (dare we say passionate) side to the world about how to solve its problems, here Helga was, showing him he wasn't the only one who could dream big. If he was a positive thinker, a hopeless romantic (like with Lila and Ruth), there was nothing to be afraid of.

Now that it was on the verge of being confirmed, all he could do was sit back and wait to hear it. Hang there in the hands of his no longer secret admirer, and see what would come of this. Would he handle it as well as she insisted he could? Was he _that_ amazing when it came to moral dilemmas?

 _You know. Like-like. In fact I lo…_

The petrified look in the young boy's eyes implied he knew what was coming. Perhaps he _had_ known all along. For all he himself even knew, had felt the same way as the passionate girl holding him all along.

Be it true or not, that didn't mean he was ready to seal the deal. Helga's mind may have been focused solely on the two of them, but Arnold had other intentions for the trip.


	2. Chapter 2

**I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO SMOOTH PANCAKES! SMOOTH PANCAKES TOOK THE TIME TO READ AND REVIEW ALL MY STORIES. I HOPE THIS ONE TURNS OUT TO BE JUST AS PLEASING AS THE OTHERS**

 **THANKS TO ALL MY READERS AND REVIEWERS. IT REALLY DOES MEAN A LOT :)**

Chapter 1: I Might As Well Say It

 _One Year Ago_

Arnold and Gerald were walking down Vine Street. It had been a week since their neighborhood was on the verge of being destroyed. Despite what seemed like a hopeless situation, they managed to come through for everyone.

"Well buddy, we did it!" Gerald said, as he viewed the town fixing up their businesses.

While the easy going boy was pleased knowing he and Arnold had once again solved their town's problems, Arnold's mind was elsewhere.

After not receiving a response, Gerald looked over to see his friend staring off into space. "Arnold? Arnold? Hey Arnold!"

"Huh? Oh sorry Gerald." the blonde boy blushed, hoping he hadn't been out for too long.

Gerald shook his head at his friend, knowing it wasn't unusual for his mind to wander off. "I hope that's not the kind of attention you plan on paying us at practice."

Arnold began to rub his neck, knowing what a hard time he was having keeping his mind focused. The fact that their neighborhood had nearly been torn down was overwhelming enough. _How_ it was saved, wasn't any easier to forget about.

"Sorry Gerald. I've just got some things on my mind."

"No kidding."

As the boys headed towards Gerald field, a concerned figure was lurking nearby. The pigtailed girl peeked around the corner of the brick building in the alley, as she watched her friends head for the field.

Listening in on their conversation, she hoped he may be thinking what she had been thinking about for the past week…

 _Who else do you think has been stalking you night and day, building shrines to you in a closet, filling volumes of books with poems about you? I love you Arnold! I've always loved you! Ever since I first laid eyes on your stupid football head! And from that moment, every moment since, I've lived and dreamed for you! Dreamed of the moment I could finally tell you my sacred feelings. To grab you and kiss you…_

Petrifying as the thought of admitting it was all true was, a bit of hope remained inside her that he somehow knew, it was all true. That despite her hostile behavior, her amazing gesture to save the neighborhood was enough to prove her sincere feelings for him.

After watching him and Gerald disappear down the street, Helga fell against the wall. Sliding down towards the ground, she pulled her locket out of her shirt. Staring at her beloved's sweet face, her torturous cries for his attention began to escape her lips…

 _Oh Arnold! I at last find the strength to reveal my feelings, and what do I do? Run away from the light. Fall into my old habits. Decide the moment I had always dreamed of was just too good to be true. Now here I am, forced to reside in my aggressive ways. When will I…_

The passionate girl's outspoken feelings were interrupted by a heavy wave of breaths taking place from beside her. Helga stood from the ground to slam the top on the trash can, where _her_ stalker (Brainy), had been listening.

 _Gerald Field_

The group arrived one by one until the whole team had arrived. They were gathered on the field, enjoying their now worry free summer vacation. Fifth grade would be coming before they knew it.

"Finally! WE get to be the ones to toss those stupid fourth graders in the garbage cans!" Harold screamed with excitement.

"Yeah, this year's going to be so cool." Sid agreed, with a wide smile forming across his face.

While half the team stood fantasizing about the advantages this year would be bringing to them, Helga stood at the catcher's plate, glancing at the cute boy at shortstop.

She felt herself shaking at the thought of him revealing any intimate information about what had taken place between the two of them. While she would love nothing more than to have him return her feelings, she wasn't ready for the class' opinion of it.

While Helga's heart was pounding at the thought of her secret being publicly announced, Arnold too had something on his mind. There he stood, glancing in the direction of the neighborhood's hero. Surely she wasn't just messing with him when she said all those loving, dramatic things.

He knew deep down what a good person she was. The oblong headed boy stood there reminiscing about all the times Helga had proven she could do the right thing…

When she warned him about Summer

When she let Phoebe participate in the All City Academic Competition

When she apologized to Big Patty

When she told Chez Paris the truth about having the wrong coupon

Arnold stood on the field, thinking about all the times Helga had shown she was more than she seemed, until he heard "Hey Arnold! Heads up!"

"Huh?"

Arnold shook his head just in time to be hit in the head by a fly ball. The distracted boy fell to the ground, as his friends raced over to help him. "I'm so sorry Arnold! Are you okay?!" Sid exclaimed.

Arnold rubbed his head as he stood from the ground and replied "Yeah, it's no big deal."

The group began to retake their positions. Everyone that is, except the class bully and who was said to be her arch nemesis.

Helga stood watching Arnold rub the sore spot on his head. Before returning to the catcher's plate, she couldn't help but notice the look he was giving her. It wasn't just a…

 _I see you in front of me..._ look

It was more of a

 _There she is...in front of me!..._ look

Helga's eyes widened the more she noticed Arnold's constant stare. It was as if he was dying to say something to her. It was the same look she revealed each and every time they bumped heads while rounding the corners of their city's streets. Every time she fell to the ground, she shook her head to see she had been knocked down by the love of her life. Which meant she was given yet another chance, another moment alone with him, to reveal her true feelings.

They weren't alone however. After Arnold realized how long he had been staring, he shook his head and walked over to his position. Helga on the other hand, remained standing where she was, thinking to herself…

 _What the heck was that about?_

The now baffled girl stood pondering her thoughts until she heard "Come on Helga! Let's go already!"

Having her thoughts interrupted (and being given an order), Helga clenched her fists and scowled "Oh put a sock in it Pink boy!"

While Helga had been standing like a deer caught in the headlights, wondering what her football headed love god's problem was, Phoebe had been standing nearby in left field.

A week had gone by since the neighborhood was saved, and Helga hadn't spoken a word of her confession to anyone (not even Phoebe).

The sweet Asian girl watched her friend march toward the catcher's plate, knowing there must be something Helga hadn't felt the need to share with her.

 _Two Hours Later_

"Can we PLEASE stop this! I need to get home and finish unpacking my things!" Rhonda said in a frustrated tone.

Gerald lifted an eyebrow at the excuse and replied "Unpacking? What for? Your family wasn't being forced to move."

A grin formed on the modish girl's face as she explained "No, but we weren't going to continue staying in our current residence while this neighborhood was under construction. Seriously, can you imagine all the noise and unpleasant disturbances we'd be dealing with?"

"Alright, let's call it quits." Arnold agreed, feeling sore from his encounter with the fly ball.

The boys were grabbing their things when Phoebe noticed her friend had already fled the field.

"You want to go get some ice cream buddy?" Gerald asked his tired friend.

Arnold picked up his bat, while rubbing his sore head with his other hand and sighed "My head hurts too much. I've got some ice cream at my house, if you want to come over."

Gerald turned his head to look towards Phoebe. Before giving Arnold his response, he was going to give her a chance to join him at Slausens. She had apparently made the decision for him, when he turned to see she was no longer standing beside him.

"Sounds good man."

The boys then headed off towards the boarding house, while the quiet, yet intelligent girl was making her way towards another house.

 _Helga's House_

"Mother May I!" Bob shouted, feeling sore every time he reached for the remote. Only a week had gone by since the neighborhood's tragic incident. There the Beeper King sat in his living room chair, covered in bruises from his fight with Nick Vermicelli.

"Here you go daddy! I brought you an ice pack for your shoulder!" Olga said sweetly.

The caring girl gently placed the pack on her father's shoulder. While watching him grit his teeth, Olga worriedly asked "Is there anything I can do for you daddy?"

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"For crying out loud! Who the heck could that be?!" Bob scowled, not being in the mood for any visitors.

"I'll go check daddy."

Olga anxiously opened the door to see her sister's best friend waiting patiently to be invited inside.

"Hello Phoebe! What brings you here?" Olga asked sweetly.

"I couldn't help but notice Helga seeming a bit apprehensive at practice. I thought it would be best to check on her."

Olga gave a concerned look after hearing the news about her sister and replied "Oh goodness! Poor baby sister! Well, I'm afraid she's not here right now?"

Phoebe paused for a moment to think of where her friend may be. Normally when Helga had a problem, Phoebe was the one she went to in order to escape her troubles. Perhaps she was already there waiting for her.

 _The Boarding House_

Gerald followed his worn out friend inside the boarding house, past the usual sea of animals that greeted them. "Mm, mm, mmm. Why do I get the feeling those pets of yours would have followed you to your new home?"

Arnold slowly dragged his feet towards the staircase. As he approached the steps, he turned towards his friend and said "The ice cream's in the kitchen if you want to make yourself some."

"Thanks man!"

Making his way towards his room, Arnold heard chuckling down the hall. He turned his head to see Phil sitting in his rocker, reading his stories. "Hey grandpa."

Phil set his stories aside and said to his grandson "Hey shortman! How'd practice go?"

The blonde boy rubbed his sore spot and sighed "It was alright. Where's grandma?"

"How the heck should I know?" Phil asked, not caring to take an interest in his eccentric wife's business.

Arnold was beginning to make his way towards the steps when he heard…

"HE-YAW!"

"Pookey! What the heck are you doing?" Phil stood from his chair to see his wife carrying in a plate of chopped watermelon.

"Dinner is served grasshopper!"

"Oohhh my stomach!" Phil whined, while racing towards the bathroom.

Gerald appeared with his bowl of vanilla ice cream just in time to see the old man racing past him. "What's up with your grandpa?"

"Never mind." Arnold sighed, leading his friend up the attic stairs.

 _Arnold's Room_

The blonde boy sat on the couch with his legs crossed, and hands folded in his lap. A heavy sigh released from him, as he tried relaxing his mind. So much had gone through it the past week, and all of it pertained to one person.

Gerald sat on his best friend's bed, enjoying the ice cream when he mentioned "It's too bad we never figured out who Deep Voice was."

The oblong headed boy quickly lifted his head, not expecting his friend to bring up the topic. "Huh?"

"I don't know about you, but I think that guy deserves a thank you."

Arnold began to rub his neck, unsure of what to say. Helga had made it clear she wasn't willing to express her true feelings in public. Why should it matter who he told about them, if she was just going to deny it anyway?

While Arnold sat considering what to say, someone else happened to be listening in on the conversation.

On top of the roof, peeking through his glass ceiling, Helga did her best to listen in on the conversation. Her heart began to race at the thought of him maybe revealing what had happened between the two of them. The look they shared on the field did more than enough to imply, he was having seconds thoughts. That he wasn't going to buy the idea of her still hating him (or that she ever had).

The nervous girl's eyes widened as she watched her beloved look towards his best friend. Just by the troubled expression he was wearing, she could sense their secret was about to be unleashed.

"What's with you man?" Gerald asked his perturbed friend.

Arnold looked to his prying companion who was nearing the bottom of his bowl of ice cream. He uncrossed his legs, and rested his arms against them. Staring at the floor, he began to reply. "Well, now that you've brought up Deep Voice, I guess I might as well tell you…"

"Tell me what?" the curious boy asked, setting the bowl aside.

"You remember when you were looking for a way past the guards at FTi?"

Lifting an eyebrow at his friend, Gerald replied "Kind of hard to forget, seeing as how it was only last week."

"Yeah well, there's a reason it took so long to get out to you."

Interrupting the excuse, Gerald said wittily "I assumed it was because the hall was full of guards."

"There's also a reason Helga was with me when I finally made it out."

Thinking back to the night, Gerald lifted an eyebrow and said "Yeah, what _was_ Pataki doing there anyway?"

Helga's face was pressed tightly against the glass. She wasn't sure of what was being said. She knew the look on his face though. The look he was wearing when Lila dumped him. The look he wore when fliers for Parents' Day were being passed out. The look he showed when he killed Eugene's pet fish.

He had a problem, and didn't know what to do. All he could do was talk it out, the worst thing Helga could possibly imagine.

The trembling girl sat against the glass, preparing herself for the worst when she heard "Helga!"

The blonde girl jumped from her position to see her best friend waiting on the ground below. Helga quickly raced down the steps of the fire escape, hoping no one would notice her.

"Pheebs! What are you doing here?" she insisted on knowing, while dragging her friend back into the alley.

A worried look formed on the intelligent girl's face, as she explained "Forgive my intrusion Helga, but you left practice in quite a hurry. When your sister said you weren't home, I assumed you headed towards my house. I just happened to notice you here along the way."

 _Arnold's Room_

With his hands on his hips, standing before his friend, Gerald said in disbelief "Let me get this straight. Not only was Pataki the reason we saved the neighborhood (the neighborhood her father's business would be making money off of), but she has more extreme feelings for you than Bubba does for Mr. Fudgeys?"

Blushing at the recap, Arnold shrugged his shoulders and said "Pretty much."

"Well at least she didn't kiss you." Gerald said, trying to lift his friend's spirit.

Arnold went from blushing to turning beet red as he sunk lower into his couch. Gerald took notice of his friend's position and said "Arnold, are you thinking, what I think you're thinking?"

"It's not as bad as it sounds." the blonde boy gulped.

 _The Alley_

"Why exactly are you here Helga?" Phoebe couldn't help but wonder.

While Helga was open with Phoebe about her intimate feelings, there were still some things she liked to keep private. The moment Arnold said 'You were just caught up in the heat of the moment' it was like music to her ears. She could disregard it ever happened, and think of it as just another one of her extreme fantasies.

"Me? Doing here? Oh I was just uh…"

Phoebe continued to stare at her nervous friend until Helga realized, she could no longer fight it. "Oh criminy! I was spying on Arnold. Is that so unusual?!" Helga snapped, as she turned to cross her arms.

Phoebe had already heard the stories. She helped Helga buy supplies for her shrines, knew the poems read in class were by Helga about Arnold, watched the obsessed girl sleep walk to the innocent boy's house. What could be so surprising about stopping by his place to sneak a peek at him?

"Well I suppose not. I just couldn't help but notice you seeming a bit perturbed at practice."

Helga began to tremble at the memory. Without a doubt in her mind, Arnold was thinking back to their private moment on FTi when he couldn't take his eyes off her on the field. Helga had yet to reveal the information to her best friend however. How was she supposed to explain her behavior?

 _Arnold's Room_

Arnold sat on his red couch, watching his friend stare at him in bewilderment. "Are you okay Gerald?"

After a few blinks of his eyes, Gerald said wittily "I think a better question would be, are _you_ okay?"

Arnold relinquished a solemn sigh. Thinking back to the night, and his reaction to the confession, he replied "I'm not really sure. She said none of it was really true. I just don't know if I can believe that though."

Gerald crossed his arms and glared at his friend's unnecessary concern. "You're kidding right?"

 _The Alley_

"Oh my! So does this mean you and Arnold are…"

After coming clean to her best friend, Helga dropped her tense shoulders and said regretfully "I couldn't let him think I was serious Pheebs."

"I'm afraid I don't understand Helga?"

Rolling her eyes at her friend's density, Helga scowled "For crying out loud Pheebs! Just because I spilled my guts to him, doesn't mean he feels the same way! My finding the strength after all these years to pour my heart out to him, isn't going to make him disregard the years of torment I put him through."

Seeing the conflict her friend was facing, Phoebe placed a hand on Helga's shoulder and said "Rest assured Helga, if there was ever a person who would be willing to turn the other cheek on such repetitive negativity, it would be Arnold."

"I don't know Pheebs. Even if he does think I'm good enough to be his friend, that doesn't mean there's a snowball's chance of me being his girlfriend."

 _Arnold's Room_

By the time Arnold had finished explaining every detail Gerald missed out on that exciting night, his friend decided he'd had about all he could take. "Mm, mm, mmm! Well Arnold, sounds like you've got some serious thinking to do."

The conflicted boy stood from the couch to walk his friend down the stairs. Gerald went to place his empty bowl in the kitchen sink. Arnold took a seat at the table, wondering what he would do the next time he saw Helga. Should he leave things as they were? Just because Gerald (and perhaps Phoebe) knew about this, didn't mean things had to change.

"Well, see you later buddy." Gerald said, giving his best friend their secret handshake.

"See ya Gerald."

The easy going boy left the room, just as Phil was making an entrance. "Boys, you know how I've always said not to eat raspberries? Well, watermelon's not the best idea either."

The elderly man took a seat at the table with his grandson. Rubbing his unsettled stomach, Phil took notice of his grandson's worried face and asked "Hey, what's eatin' ya shortman?"

Arnold looked at his arms that were now crossed on the table. Staring sadly at them, the troubled boy replied "I've just got some things on my mind."

"Hmm...what kind of things?" Phil asked, rubbing his chin.

Arnold told his grandpa everything. He not only knew about the way Helga treated him, but had been insisting for years there was a reason for it. Now was the elderly man's chance to gloat.

"Well, it's kind of a long story…"

The sound of this made Phil grab hold of his unsettled stomach and say "Better make it quick!"

"I think you might have been right about Helga. She told me she loves me, and then...kissed me." the nervous boy said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Phil forgot about his stomach a moment, just to say "Ha! What'd I tell ya shortman?! So, when's your first date?

Arnold watched his excited grandfather wink at him. Knowing he was about to spoil the moment, the blonde boy said "We're not dating. We decided it should just be the heat of the moment."

Lifting an eyebrow at this grandson, Phil scratched his head and replied "Heat of the what now?"

"I may have pressured her into saying it. I didn't mean to. After I found out she was Deep Voice... "

"Who the heck is that?" Phil asked, no longer thinking about his stomach.

Arnold rubbed the back of his neck, not wanting to explain every detail. "It was just a person who was giving Gerald and I all the clues we needed to save the neighborhood. When I found out it was Helga, I made her tell me why."

Phil laughed at his grandson's story and said "Hehe boy, were you in trouble!"

Arnold revealed a perplexed look at the response, not having told Phil the whole story yet. "Why is that?"

"Shortman, if you want a girl to like you, you can't MAKE them do anything they don't want to do."

The blonde boy paused a moment, thinking back to how aggressive he had been with Helga…

 _Helga why'd you do it? Come on what's the real reason? Because WHY Helga? I wanna know why, and I wanna know right now!_

"Yeah I guess so. Anyway, next thing I knew, she was telling me about all these crazy things she had done to prove how much she loves me over the years. Next thing I knew, she was kissing me!" Arnold exclaimed, no longer hesitant with his feelings. It was starting to feel good having someone to unload them onto.

"Well shortman, as crazy as the night sounds like it was for the two of you, she still came through for you. Maybe you could take her out to thank her. Let her pick a movie to see...then make her buy the snacks for it."

Arnold sat in his chair, watching Phil laugh at himself until he finally felt his stomach rumbling "Whoops! Gotta go!"

 _Phoebe's House_

"I'm sorry your day was so overwhelming Helga. You should feel better after a good night's rest." Phoebe assured her friend.

Helga crawled into the sleeping bag her friend had been nice enough to lend her. The worried girl laid down as she watched Phoebe turn out the lights. Helga glanced over to see Phoebe wasted no time shutting her eyes, after getting settled into a comfortable sleeping position.

It didn't matter how comfortable _she_ was however. No amount of rest was going to erase the memory of what had happened the past week, and the possibilities of what it may lead to.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: May or May Not

Arnold had thought about his grandpa's suggestion. Even if Helga didn't like the idea of revealing any of their intimate information, there was no reason he couldn't thank her for helping them.

After a night spent thinking this over, the tired boy got up to head downstairs for breakfast.

 _Arnold's Kitchen_

"Eat up Slim!" Pookey said to her husband. Thankfully, his stomach had overcome it's uneasiness from the fruit filled dinner his wife had prepared the previous night.

Phil kept his paper in front of him, while his cowgirl dressing wife set the plate of pancakes beside him.

A greedy boarder couldn't help but notice the plate was going untouched. As he began sneaking his hand towards Phil's pancakes, the old man snapped "What the heck do you think you're doing you no good chizzler?!

"What? I never touched a thing?" Oscar insisted, leaning back in his chair.

Phil rolled up his newspaper to smack the immature boarder with. "Keep your grubby paws off my pancakes!"

"Ow! You hit my hand! I'm going to sue you!"

While Phil was angrily starting on his meal, Arnold entered the room to take a seat at the table. "Morning grandpa." the tired boy yawned.

"Morning shortman! Whatcha got planned for today?"

Arnold leaned back in his chair, while his western grandmother set a large stack of pancakes in front of him. "I was thinking about asking Helga out. You know, as a thank you for helping us."

"Hehe...couldn't resist could ya shortman?" Phil laughed, knowing Arnold must be developing _some_ sort of feelings for his tough classmate.

Arnold began rubbing his arm nervously at the accusation and replied "It's not a date. Even if she _did_ want it to be, she wouldn't be okay with all our friends knowing about it."

No longer caring about Oscar stealing his meal, Phil pushed his plate aside and asked "Arnold, did I ever tell you about the time I saw the movie 'Ghostbusters?'"

"I don't think so?"

"Your grandma had been wanting to see it for weeks. I invited her to go with me when I bought tickets for it." Phil started to explain.

"Did she go with you?"

"Well she would have, had half our class not already been standing in line to get tickets for the movie. The moment she saw how many people would see us together, she bailed on me."

"Did you do something else with her?"

"Heck no! I wasn't going to waste my ticket. I sat in that movie with the rest of my friends, laughing myself silly."

Arnold stared at Phil's story, not knowing where he was going with this, until he finally heard the old man say "So you see shortman, your grandma didn't get to have any fun, all because she was worried about what everyone thought of her."

 _The Park_

After a long night spent pondering the tragedies this situation could lead to, Helga and Phoebe went for a stroll around the park.

Phoebe examined the hopeless look her friend was carrying. Based on the information she had gathered, Helga had revealed her dream of telling Arnold how she felt. Unfortunately, not receiving a response from him made the idea of forgetting it ever happened seem like an even bigger dream come true.

"Don't worry Helga. Technically, Arnold hasn't rejected you."

Helga turned to cock her brow at her supportive friend and asked "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you appear troubled due to the fact Arnold's response to your confession didn't seem too welcoming. When you consider the facts however, you were never given an actual answer. He merely assumed acting as though nothing ever happened, was what would be in your best interest."

A heavy breath escaped the emotionally troubled girl, as she rubbed the back of her neck. Staring sadly at the pathway of the park, Helga at last said "I can't say anything to him again Pheebs."

"I'm afraid I don't understand?" the small girl said hesitantly.

Helga pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance and scowled "For crying out loud Pheebs! He let me off the hook once. What are the chances I'd be that lucky again?"

Phoebe gave her friend a baffled look as she replied "But Helga, being with Arnold has always been your dream. I would hardly consider being excused from any romantic gestures you may have made towards him to be a sign of luck."

Not being in the mood to explain her overwhelming pile of mixed feelings, the blonde girl began marching away from her friend.

Phoebe stood alone, wishing she knew what to do about Helga. It wasn't her place to interfere with her best friend's love life. The intelligent girl stood watching her friend disappear down the path, until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Oh hello Gerald."

The calm boy smiled at his favorite girl and asked "Hey babe, what's up?"

A frown formed on Phoebe's face, as she began to rub her arm. Should she reveal the disturbing information Helga had passed along to her? Gerald was as close with Arnold as she was with Helga. It was only a matter of time before Arnold caved. After all, everyone needs someone to vent to.

"I'm afraid I've spent the past several hours trying to put Helga's mind at ease…"

Gerald couldn't help but interrupt to ask "At ease? About what?"

Phoebe subconsciously lowered her tone, still not feeling right about revealing Helga's personal information. "Well, Helga recently shared with me some overwhelming information pertaining to her and Arnold."

Gerald smiled at his friend, already knowing what it had to be about. "Funny you should mention my man."

 _One Hour Ago_

 _Arnold's Room_

Gerald stopped by to check on his friend. After an emotionally overwhelming afternoon of revealing secrets, he knew Arnold must still have quite a bit on his mind. The blonde boy wasn't one to toss substantial situations over his shoulder, without questioning the meaning behind them.

"You get any sleep last night?" Gerald asked his friend.

Arnold leaned back on the couch, shrugging his shoulders at the question. "I guess. I was up thinking most of the night."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

"Well, I've been thinking even if I don't ask Helga on a date, there's no reason I can't ask her out to thank her."

"Thank her...for shooting spit balls at you, spraying you at the fountain, cutting in front of you in the lunch line, calling you insulting names. By all means man, thank her."

Arnold rolled his eyes at the witty remark and sighed "Just help me think of a place to take her."

"You're a bold kid Arnold."

 _The Park_

Having listened to the story, Phoebe's eyes lit with anticipation as she asked "Oh my! Is he planning on calling her?"

"That's where you come in babe." Gerald smiled, while receiving a perplexed look from his friend.

"What do you mean?"

"My man knew there was no way Pataki would agree to go out with him, even if it was just as a thank you. We need you to get her to the theater."

Phoebe held a finger to her lip, thinking about the consequences if anything were to go wrong. It was going to be overwhelming enough for Helga the moment she realized she was alone with Arnold. She felt a miracle had been placed upon her when Arnold gave her the out he did. What would she think if something went wrong this time, and Arnold wasn't willing to toss it over his shoulder?

After a few moments considering this, Phoebe came to the conclusion Arnold wasn't the type of person to point out a friend's flaws. "Well, I suppose that would be alright."

 _Gerald Field_

Helga was storming home, doing her best to forget about Arnold. Things were back to where they were to begin with. Arnold _thought_ she hated him. What was there to worry about?

The blonde girl marched past the field where a few of her classmates were playing catch. She didn't care to pay them any attention, until she heard…

"Hey Helga! You're not wearing that for your big date tonight are you?"

The irritated girl halted as she turned to face the boys. With her hands on her hips, she scowled "What the heck are you talking about?"

 _Flashback_

After deciding to take Helga to a movie, Arnold walked down the street with Gerald to buy the tickets.

"So you're really doing this man?" Gerald patted his friend on the back.

A small smile formed on Arnold's face, as she said "Yeah. We could end up having fun."

"Whatever you say Arnold."

After a moment of silence, Arnold asked "Hey Gerald…"

"What is it buddy?"

"Do you think Helga will agree to go out? I mean, it's not a real date."

"I don't know man. You know how uptight that girl can be."

Scratching the back of his head, a thought then came to the optimistic boy's mind. "Maybe you could ask Phoebe to get her there for me?"

"No problem buddy." Gerald said, giving his friend their secret handshake.

Arnold then headed towards the theater, while Gerald turned around to look for Phoebe.

 _End of Flashback_

 _Gerald Field_

"I reckon they weren't standing too far away, on account of we heard everything." Stinky informed the worried girl.

Helga's eyes widened at the story. No one was ever supposed to know about her intimate feelings for Arnold. Now here she was being singled out for an arranged date with him.

After shaking her head vigorously, Helga found her aggressive side and sneered "What business is it of you losers anyway?! I can spend my summer however the heck I want!"

Watching the vexed girl point a finger at him, Sid replied "I guess so. I just figured Arnold would be the last person you would want to spend your summer with."

"Pttss...yeah well, shows what you morons know. See ya in the funny pages!"

 _AVON Theater_

Arnold stood outside the theater, remembering what Phil had told him. His grandma lost her chance at a fun night, all because she was worried about what people may think of her. He already knew how insecure Helga was. She could barely stand the thought of smiling sweetly in public. If he wanted this night to go well, he couldn't make a big deal out of it.

This meant ignoring the lingering thoughts in his mind about how true her words on FTi were. If it boiled down to allowing her to treat him in the usual harsh way she did, so be it.

Walking up to the ticket master, Arnold said "I'd like two tickets for Evil Twin 5"

"Aren't you lucky; our last two tickets." the cashier said in a monotone voice.

 _Phoebe's House_

After hearing the surprising news about what that night had in store for her, Helga made a quick turn around. She made it to Phoebe's just in time to see her best friend approaching the front steps of the door.

"Phoebe!"

The startled girl quickly turned to see her frustrated friend standing behind her. "Oh hello Helga. I was just about to call you."

Ignoring her friend's response, Helga grabbed the small girl by the sweater and said "Pheebs! I'm in trouble!"

Although she had a good idea of what her friend was worried about, Phoebe asked "What's wrong Helga?"

"Arnold's going to ask me out tonight! I thought we agreed everything I said was just a bunch of nonsense! What the heck does he think he's doing?!"

Phoebe steadily pushed her nervous friend off her and said "Helga, you've always hoped he would be the one to confront you. Seeing this happen would give you the much needed assurance it was something he wanted. Don't let the opportunity pass you by."

Helga smacked her face in frustration, knowing the night wouldn't go well. "Criminy!"

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold entered the kitchen to see Pookey cooking spaghetti, while Phil was playing Chinese Checkers with Oscar.

"Hey everyone."

Phil looked up from the board to see his grandson standing with two tickets. "Hey! Whatcha got there shortman?"

"I thought about what you said. I'm going to take Helga to see the new Evil Twin movie."

"Hmm...sounds like...hey? Did you touch anything?!" Phil snapped, placing his eyes back on the board.

"I never touched a thing grandpa." Oscar promised, shrugging his shoulders at the accusation.

"Oh you did too you liar! And stop calling me grandpa!"

Arnold left the room with his tickets, not knowing why Phil bothered to play board games with anyone. If he knew the pieces were moved every time he looked away, why waste his time playing with those people?

Not bothering to point that out to his relative, Arnold headed upstairs. The moment he entered his room, he glanced towards his closet and wondered if dressing up would be appropriate.

 _Dressing up seems more like something you'd do for a date. I want to show Helga how much I appreciate the help she gave us though. I'm just being polite._

 _If I do, it could make her feel self conscious if I dress up and she doesn't?_

It wasn't even meant to be a date, and Arnold's head was spinning with thoughts about what one decision could lead to. If was just supposed to be a night with a friend.

 _Two Hours Later_

 _Phoebe's House_

Helga sat nervously on her friend's bed, not having bothered to fix up her appearance. If she didn't want Arnold to think she was attempting to win him over, she wasn't going to imply she wanted to lure him in with makeup and jewelry.

While the pigtailed girl sat twiddling her thumbs on the bed, she looked up to see Phoebe setting down the phone.

"I just spoke with Gerald. Arnold's on his way to the theater."

Helga could feel herself shaking at the thought of meeting Arnold there (not to mention alone).

 _AVON Theater_

Arnold stood outside the theater, waiting for his friend. The pre-teen did his best to remain calm about what the night may bring, until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Arnold quickly turned to see a friend standing beside him. "Oh, hey Lila."

"Hello Arnold. I'm ever so happy to see you!"

The two classmates began stirring up a conversation just as another face was approaching. Helga was trembling all the way to the theater. Her head was spinning with thoughts about how many times during the night FTi would be brought up. Her nervous behavior was put to an end when she looked to the end of the street.

There she saw Arnold...with _her._

"LILA!" Helga growled, with her fists clenched. Her petrified state was then transformed into a pit of jealousy.

"Well, have a nice time Arnold!" the red head waved, just in time for Arnold to turn and see his other friend.

"Oh umm hey Helga." the sweet boy greeted her, rubbing his neck nervously.

A scowl remained on Helga's face, as she watched Lila wonder off down the street. Her angry thoughts were interrupted when she heard her friend ask "Ready for the movie?"

The pigtailed girl's eyes lit with fear, as she realized what was happening. She and her beloved were about to see a movie together. They may not be labeling it as a date, but she knew better than that.

If Arnold just wanted to show his appreciation, why wasn't Gerald invited too? There had to be something going on in his mind. The only question was, would she be able to make it through the night without having to know _what_?

"Uhh yeah. Let's go Romeo." Helga gulped. While Arnold paid no attention to the comment, Helga was smacking herself inside…

 _Romeo? Nice going Helga!_

Doing her best to keep her cool, Helga walked towards the ticket booth, until she felt someone take hold of her hand.

Her eyes widened as she turned to hear Arnold say "I already bought the tickets. We can go inside."

A dreamy smile formed on the lovesick pre-teen's face. She stood gazing into her beloved's eyes, thinking to herself…

 _Oh Arnold my love! So thoughtful! Only you could make the most magical night out of the simplest gestures!_

Helga then shook her head, realizing how far she had drifted off. She looked down at their linked hands and scoffed "Hey! Who said you could touch me?"

"Oh sorry." Arnold replied, almost forgetting about her insecurities.

The two made their way into the theater. There was still enough time to wait in line at the snack stand before the movie started.

"How about we get some popcorn?" Arnold suggested.

"Only if there's a box of ice cream nuggets to go along with it." Helga said wittily.

The two pre-teens stood in line at the snack stand, unsure of what to say to one another. There was an elephant in the room, and neither of them felt right mentioning it.

Just when Arnold was about to break the silence, the two of them heard…

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

Helga turned to see an intrigued classmate with an evil grin on her face.

"What do you want Princess?!" the vexed pre-teen scowled.

Ignoring the question, Rhonda went on to say "So the rumors are true."

Arnold lifted an eyebrow at the statement and asked "What are you talking about?"

"Everyone overheard your conversation with Gerald this afternoon Arnold. I must say, this is quite bold of you. Going out with your arch nemesis."

Helga stood gritting her teeth at the description, while Arnold sighed in rebuttal "We are not enemies Rhonda. We're just two friends seeing a movie together."

"Suit yourself." the modish girl sneered, as she turned to head in the opposite direction.

Arnold looked to see the frustrating expression that hadn't left Helga's face. Although he knew it was best to give her some much needed space, he was more concerned about comforting her at the moment.

The caring boy took her clenched fist in his hand and said "It'll be okay Helga. It's not the first time she made fun of someone."

Helga let out a frustrating sigh that was interrupted when she looked down to feel her friend rubbing her hand. As much as she wanted to push him away, there was something about those emerald eyes that called out to her. The signature smile he wore that mesmerized her.

The two stood staring at one another until they heard "Next please!"

Arnold then looked behind the dazed girl to see it was their turn in line. "We're next Helga!"

"Huh? Oh right." the anxious girl said after vigorously shaking her head.

Once the snacks had been bought, Arnold led Helga to the back row of the theater. The two sat beside one another, with the aisle to themselves.

"Get ready to wet your pants head boy!" Helga couldn't help but yell.

"I've seen all the Evil Twin movies, and not one of them scared me." he assured her, with a dull look on his face.

"Pttsss….first time for everything." Helga scoffed, as she leaned back in her seat. The content girl propped her feet up on the chair in front of her, happily eating her ice cream nuggets. Arnold watched her, thinking to himself…

 _She's not like any girl I've ever met_

Would it be too much to bring up FTi? He had already held her hand. There was no telling how long they would have been staring at each other (or what it could have led to) if Rhonda hadn't interrupted them.

Before the conflicted boy could make up his mind, the lights dimmed for the movie to start.

Although Arnold wasn't scared, there were parts that made him flinch every now and then. When someone's head was chopped off from behind, or the Evil Twin made an unexpected appearance.

Helga didn't move an inch however. Every time Arnold glanced in her direction, she was still sitting with her feet propped up, shoveling down the ice cream nuggets, with her dull eyes glued to the screen.

 _Two Hours Later_

"Good job not wetting your pants." Helga pointed out, as she stood from her seat.

"Uhh thanks. You ready to go?" he asked, anxious to talk about the previous week.

"Might as well. Bob will blow his stack if someone wakes him up walking through the door after midnight. Not that he's physically capable of stopping them." Helga smirked.

Arnold gave a baffled look and asked "Why is that?"

"Apparently he and that idiot business associate of his got into a stupid wrestling match, when Bob found out the guy was planning on taking more than half his business."

Arnold's eyes widened in disbelief. Had Bob known that from the beginning, he wouldn't have taken an interest in Schek's project. Helga wouldn't have been forced to choose a side that resulted in making up a crazy, secret identity. Not having to worry about going through all that trouble would mean she would have been free to be on Arnold's side without feeling pressured to reveal her reason why. This all leading to the possibility of him never hearing her confess those words...words that may or may not be true.

After watching the blonde boy stand frozen in bewilderment, Helga cocked her brow and snapped "Hey football head!"

"Huh? Oh sorry Helga."

"Sheesh! Can't you keep your head out of the clouds for one day?"

Smiling at her question, Arnold took Helga's hand in his and said "I don't think so."

 _Helga's House_

Being the good mannered boy that he was, Arnold walked his friend home after the movie. Standing outside her front door, Helga searched for the right thing to say. She began to rub her neck nervously, as she mumbled "I uhh had a good time."

"Me too. And there's something I wanted to ask you…" Arnold gulped, shocked he had found the strength to say anything.

"Okay?" Helga rubbed her arm, hoping it wasn't what it sounded like.

"Well, I wanted to ask…." the pre-teens faces quickly turned towards the front door when they saw a perky college student standing there.

"Baby sister! You're home!"

Olga came racing down the steps to hug her sister, not having seen her since yesterday. Helga didn't hesitate to shove her off and scowl "Criminy! Get off me! I was at a friend's house, not another planet."

Olga stood aside, not bothered by her sister's hostility. She looked to see Arnold standing in front of them and said "Hello Arnold! Did you two have fun on your date?"

Arnold began to blush, while Helga's eyes lit with fear. "Oh well, it wasn't a…" the shy boy started to explain, before being interrupted.

"Come inside and tell me all about it baby sister!" Olga squealed.

Helga smacked her face in frustration, knowing something would ruin the night. Arnold knew this was no longer the time to ask Helga about her feelings. He placed a hand on the annoyed girl's shoulder and said "I had a great time. Maybe we can do it again soon."

Helga did her best to hold back her swoon, as she watched her beloved disappear into the night. With her hands held over her heart, some part of her knew Arnold knew the truth. An even bigger part of her hoped, he felt the same way.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: Things Will Be Different

 _One Week Later_

Another week had gone by. After the neighborhood's crisis, the town's time spent putting things back together, and Arnold's time debating his feelings for Helga, summer was approaching its end.

It was almost noon, and the blonde boy still laid across his bed, staring at the floating clouds through his clear ceiling.

Although it had felt good to do something for Helga, one night spent at the movies didn't answer the biggest question he had come across in his life 'Was she the one for him?'

Arnold enjoyed solving problems for people, but every now and then, he had one of his own. That mind boggling kiss with his passionate classmate brought a new train of thought to Arnold's mind…

 _Normally people discuss issues like these with their parents. They have their moms and dads to explain what it was like the first time they fell in love. I don't even know if mine are still alive…_

After this depressing train of thought, Arnold sat up to grab something from his desk. There sat his dad's old journal. A book filled with page after page of exciting jungle stories that he and his grandparents finished in less than a day.

The emotionally conflicted boy brought his book over to his bed, flipping through the pages he had read time and time again. His dad (Miles) had written about the day he met Stella.

After spying on the beautiful physician from a nearby cliff, the nosy anthropologist made a 'graceful' landing down the cliff beside her. The hitchhiker was helped to his feet and brought face to face with the love of his life.

The reminder of this sweet story made Arnold question his feelings the moment he came face to face with Helga…

 _Hi. Nice bow._

 _Huh?_

 _I like your bow, because it's pink like your pants._

Miles' journal spoke of how quickly he knew Stella was the one for him. How could a three year old possess feelings as strong as that?

 _Helga's House_

"Criminy Miriam! What'd you do? Forget to go shopping again?" Helga scowled, after going through all the empty cabinets.

Standing, staring at her drowsy mother, she continued to yell "Earth to Miriam! There's no food around here!"

Once the zoned out lady snapped out of her trance, she began explaining things to her frustrated daughter. "Oh yeah, it's really sad what happened sweetie. I didn't shut the back door on the car all the way. When I hit a huge pothole coming home, the door swung open, and the groceries poured out into the street."

Helga stood with her hands on her hips, not caring to show any sympathy. "Fascinating! Now what am I supposed to eat for breakfast?"

"Oh...right. Well, let's see." Miriam said, while searching through the already open cabinets. Helga rolled her eyes, knowing her mother wasn't going to find anything; anything worth eating that is.

Just when Miriam was about to offer to make her daughter a virgin smoothie, the two ladies turned to hear the door open.

"Surprise! I'm home!"

Olga marched in with the groceries, hoping Helga would be nice enough to unpack them with her. "Good morning baby sister! I'm making goulash for lunch. It's a new recipe I learned in Alaska. Would you like to help me with it?"

Helga gave her sister a look that read _Are you kidding me?_

After two seconds of considering which was more important to her, filling her stomach or avoiding her sister, she replied "I'm going out."

Olga waved goodbye to her younger sibling who wasn't sure where she was going. Anywhere seemed better than there however.

 _Arnold's Kitchen_

Arnold would have spent the day staring at the clouds, reminiscing his thoughts, if his stomach hadn't started to demand attention.

The perplexed boy stood from his bed with his father's prized possession to see if there was anything worth eating downstairs.

Upon entering the kitchen, Arnold saw Phil sitting with a roast beef sandwich. "Hey grandpa. Is grandma not making lunch?"

"No. The crazy old loon is about to return all the safari books she borrowed from the library, and pick up a few scuba diving ones."

Knowing he'd have to find something himself, Arnold set the journal aside to go search through the fridge.

While Arnold had his head buried in the fridge, Pookey made an entrance in the kitchen with her almost complete stack of borrowed items. "Where's that missing jewel Slim?!"

Phil lifted an eyebrow at his eccentric wife and said "How the heck should I know? I'm not the one who thinks swatting a fly is the same as shooting a tiger."

Arnold finally decided to make himself a turkey sandwich. He pulled out all the meat and condiments he wanted, and placed everything on the stove.

While preparing his meal, the hungry boy heard from behind "I've found the lost treasure!"

"And lost a few marbles along the way." Phil muttered to himself, as he watched his perky wife pick up her complete stack of books.

Arnold took a seat at the table, after Pookey grabbed her needed items. Trying to take his mind off his wife's nonsense, Phil looked at his grandson and said "Whatcha got planned for today shortman?"

The young boy's attention was easily taken away from his stomach to readdress his thoughts about his parents.

"Well, I was looking at my dad's journal…" Arnold sighed, before being interrupted.

"Uh oh. I sense another boyhood problem. Fess up shortman."

"I've just been thinking about Helga. I've never had a girlfriend, and that's the kind of thing you discuss with your parents. The closest thing I have are those stories."

A frown formed on Phil's face. He knew how appreciative Arnold was that he and Pookey took such great care of him. He also understood that despite how well they treated their grandson, they still weren't his parents.

"I know shortman. I miss 'em too."

Arnold was getting ready to put his plate in the sink when he noticed something missing from the table.

"Where is it?!"

"Where's what shortman?" Phil asked his petrified grandson.

"The journal! It was right here!"

 _City Library_

"You can't kick me out! I came to check out an animal rights book, and I'm not leaving without one!" the crazy boy in the hula skirt snapped.

"Listen kid. Our policy is 'No shirt. No shoes. No service." the receptionist explained, while motioning for the security guard to drag Curly out the door.

Waving his free hand in the air, Curly threatened "You'll be sorry! You'll all be sorry!"

The abnormal boy was thrown outside just in time to see Pookey approaching the front door. "Why hello there young man. What an interesting swimsuit."

Curly looked down at his skirt which Pookey seemed intrigued by.

"Are you here to purchase a scuba book?"

Curly pointed a finger at the crazy lady and snapped "HA! I came to check out a book which will grant me all the knowledge the animal kingdom could possibly have to offer! Just watch them _try_ and stop me free everything from the zoo then!"

"What a coincidence. I just finished the library's complete set of safari material." Pookey looked down at the stack in her hands to see an unfamiliar book sitting on top.

"That's odd. I don't remember checking this out. Of course I can't remember anything past last week." she admitted.

Pookey set her stack of books down a moment, to flip through the pages of her son's journal. "What an interesting specimen!"

"Specimen?" Curly questioned.

"You should take this on your animal mission!" Pookey insisted, as she handed the abnormal boy the journal.

An evil smile formed quickly on Curly's face, as he flipped through the jungle decorative pages. Surely, this could be of use to him.

 _Arnold's Room_

Arnold was searching all around his bed, retracing his steps in his mind…

 _Where could it be? I took it downstairs when I went to get myself something to eat. I remember setting it on the table. Then grandma…._

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Come in." Arnold sighed, while taking a seat on his bed.

The stressed boy lifted his head to see his best friend entering the room. "Hey man!"

"Oh hey Gerald."

"What's up?" Gerald asked, seeing the discouraged look on his friend's face.

"I just lost something."

 _Walk_

Helga was rounding the corner of Vine Street when she bumped into someone. "OOF!

The pigtailed girl fell to the ground and shook her head. When she saw the tiger striped painted boy in front of her, she snapped "Watch where you're going geek bait!"

Curly stood to point what he considered to be a threatening finger at his classmate, and sneered "Your words are of no threat to me! Now I shall go and free the animals! HAHAHA!"

Watching what she was sorry to have to call her classmate scurry down the street, Helga shook her head and said "Poor twisted little freak."

 _Arnold's Room_

"A journal? You mean you actually have information on your parents?!' Gerald exclaimed, never having been told about it.

"Well, I know the story of how they met. There was also a map on the last page, that I'm guessing was the route they took for their last trip."

"Man, why didn't you say anything?" Gerald asked, standing before his friend with his hands on his hips.

Arnold shrugged his shoulders, not sure of what to say. "I don't know. I guess because even if that map could lead me there, it's not like I have a _way_ to get down there."

Although Gerald wasn't normally the bright sided thinker, he hated to see his friend looking so low. "Don't worry buddy. I'm sure it's around here somewhere."

 _Outside the boarding house_

Helga was approaching the boarding house as she neared the end of Vine Street. Along the walk she realized while she and Arnold had seen each other a few times that week (playing baseball, Slausens, the theater), they never actually talked about what she was sure Arnold was trying to confront her about (before Olga interrupted them).

Helga let out a deep breath while walking up the steps of the brick building. Her hand began to shake as she reached out for the door. Just as she was preparing to open it, she stopped to check the street for any nearby visitors.

When the coast was clear, the anxious girl scurried to the alley. Hidden there in the dark, secluded area, Helga pulled out her locket with her loved one's picture. Smiling sweetly at his warm face, the nervous girl began to grow frustrated with herself.

Helga held her loved one's picture close to her chest as she leaned against the brick wall and said...

 _Oh Arnold! Here I am again with the chance to make things right! The chance to assure you every word said that night was none other than the truth. Yet, here I stand lurking in the shadows, too timid and shy to reveal those feelings to you. When will I…_

Helga's peaceful moment was interrupted by heavy breathing behind her. The irritated girl stood up straight to clench her fist and swing it at her stalker.

Once her mind had been put at ease (or interrupted), she attempted to march out of the alley. Just as she was approaching the street, she heard the flock of animals leaving the boarding house.

Not wanting to be seen just yet, Helga hid behind the wall yet again, as she listened in on her beloved's conversation.

"It'll be alright man. It's bound to turn up sooner or later."

"I guess you're right. See ya later Gerald."

"Later." the placid boy replied, holding out his thumb for his friend.

After seeing Gerald walk off, Helga expected her beloved to wander back inside. This giving her the opportunity to head for home. Instead however, she watched him take a seat on his porch steps. With his head in his hands, elbows propped on his knees, she saw a despairing expression form on Arnold's face.

As badly as she wanted to run away, she couldn't just leave him looking like that. The tense girl took another deep breath, and did her best to casually approach the troubled boy. With any luck, he wouldn't notice she had been in the alley the entire time.

"Hey Arnold."

The blonde boy looked up to see the neighborhood hero standing before him. "Oh, hey Helga."

Helga began to rub the back of her neck, unsure of what to do. She felt awkward inviting herself to sit with him. "So...you and tall hair boy got something planned?"

She immediately regretted these words, wondering how obvious it may have made it seem that she had been spying on him. Then again, she had already confessed to stalking him. The only question was, did he believe it?

Her mind was torn between how she felt about this. She wanted him to know deep down she loved him. That would mean however, knowing _everything_ she said on FTi was true. It was an all or nothing situation.

His mind wasn't on their developing relationship however.

"Actually, he was just here for a few minutes. I'm just out here now because I've got something on my mind."

Helga's heart was beginning to pound. She couldn't know if his thoughts were pertaining to her, without asking him herself. "What is it?"

"Well…"

Suddenly, she wasn't afraid. Rather than worried about being judged or rejected, she examined the torn look on her beloved's face. Taking a seat beside him, she listened to him continue.

"A couple months ago, I found an old journal that belonged to my dad. I look at it every day. I had it in the kitchen with me this morning, but when I finished my lunch, I looked over and it was gone."

Helga wasn't sure of what to say. Her parents treated her in a way that made the thought of losing contact with them not seem like such a bad thing.

"Ohh…"

"Maybe I'm just over-reacting. It's not like they're ever coming back anyway. It's not like…"

"Oh put a sock in it football head!" Helga scowled, as she stood from the steps.

Arnold's eyes widened in astonishment, not knowing what she had to be so upset about.

"Arnold, this town thrives on your bright sided thinking. The city might as well have fallen to pieces if you're just going to do it too!" the frustrated girl scowled with her hands on her hips.

She didn't appreciate having to be the voice of reason. Arnold's optimism was her biggest inspiration. How was _she_ supposed to have hope for the future, if she now had to be the one to lift _his_ spirit?

Although she may not have said it in the sweetest way, Arnold knew when Helga was complimenting someone. If only she could get over her insecurities.

An innocent smile formed on his face, as he said "Maybe, but you're the one who really saved the city."

Helga felt sweat forming on her brow. It was hard accepting a compliment. She spent her life not allowing herself to take credit for anything pleasant she did for Arnold, because it made her look weak. The last thing she wanted was to appear vulnerable.

"Uhhh it was no big deal hehe." Helga gulped, as she yanked at her collar.

Arnold took her hand in his, motioning for her to have a seat beside him. "It _was_ a big deal Helga."

"I don't know if everything you said to me that night was true or not, but it was a pretty amazing thing to do, no matter how you feel about me."

The girl in the pink dress sat shaking at his words…

 _I don't know if everything you said to me that night was true or not_

What was she supposed to do? Continue praying he knew the truth, while living in constant torture wondering if the day that he confessed feelings for her would ever come? Admit to him now it was all true and risk whatever humiliating rejection he could have to show her?

"Uhh well I may have exaggerated a few things. Sure we run into each other a lot, but that doesn't mean I'm _stalking_ you. For crying out loud, I can't tell who's around the freaking corner from me!" Helga said excitedly.

Arnold watched the nervous girl fan herself, having gotten a bit worked up. He smiled at her attempt to play it cool, that had unfortunately backfired on her. Yet, it didn't bother him. The more he thought about it, the sweeter it seemed.

Maybe everything she described that night was a bit extreme, but the idea of him meaning so much to someone (her of all people) was touching.

No longer thinking about the journal, Arnold placed his hand on his friend's and said "I'm looking forward to this school year. I think things will be different."

Having a feeling he meant different between the two of them, Helga's eyes fell half lidded. A heavy swoon released from her as she sat staring into the eyes of her football headed love god.

Moments later, the lovesick girl shook her head and said "Well it's getting late. I should be going."

Arnold stood from the porch steps, knowing it would be dark soon. "Okay. I guess I'll see you later."

"Night football head."

Helga casually waved goodbye to her beloved. Once she saw him enter his home, she happily skipped down the sidewalk, hoping his interpretation of their upcoming year would be correct.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4: Attention Students

It was the first day of fifth grade. Arnold awoke wondering how different things would be that year. He and Helga were starting to open up around to each other. Now the question was, would she be able to drop her old habits in front of the entire school?

 _Arnold's Kitchen_

With Pookie busy studying her new scuba diving books, everyone was sitting at the table without any food in front of them.

"Hey gramps. Where's that wife of yours? I'm starving!" Ernie asked impatiently.

"Yes, I am very hungry." Mr Hyunh agreed, eyeing the old man.

"I pay rent. What do I have to do to get some food around here?" the construction worker angrily reminded him.

"Why don't you make us all a big stack of pancakes? Oh and some orange juice to go with it." Oscar greedily suggested.

"Will you be quiet!" Phil exclaimed, as he stood from his seat to lean across the table.

Having had enough of the whining boarders, Phil left the kitchen to head upstairs. On his way towards the staircase, he saw his anxious grandson making his way down them.

"Morning grandpa."

"Hey, what's your hurry there shortman?"

"It's the first day of school! I'm just going to grab an apple to take with me."

 _Outside_

Gerald stood waiting outside the boarding house for his best friend. Every day they walked to school together, along with many other places. This year would be no different.

The placid boy stood leaning against the side of the porch until he noticed the door opening. Immediately, he knew to step back while allowing the animals to race down the block. "Hey Arnold. Ready for school man?"

"Ready Gerald."

Arnold was looking forward to school; anxious to see what a day spent around Helga now would be like. That is, until he heard Gerald ask "So, did you ever find your dad's journal?"

A loud sigh released from the no longer optimistic boy as he replied "No. I don't know what could have happened to it?"

While the boys were making their way towards the school, Phoebe was standing outside _her_ best friend's house. The small girl waited patiently for her friend until she heard…

"Criminy! I'm surrounded!"

Phoebe watched her friend angrily march down the steps with her backpack. Not that Helga ever looked happy after leaving her house, but today she appeared overwhelmingly flustered.

"Is everything alright Helga?"

After rolling her eyes at the question, Helga managed to bring herself to say "Pttss...no. After listening to Bob whine for days on the couch about his beaten up body, he finally makes it back to work. Only for us to have to watch him come home and scream about sales plummeting. Nobody wants those stupid beepers anymore!"

A worried look formed on Phoebe's face. Helga hated her life just from being ignored by her family. What would becoming poor and having all their possessions do to her?

"Has your father thought about introducing a new product to his store?"

"Pheebs, come on. That…."

Before finishing her annoyed thoughts, Helga bumped heads, rounding the corner of the street. The agitated girl fell to the ground in front of her friend. After shaking her head, she opened her eyes to see the boy with the corn flowered hair sitting in front of her.

"Arnold!"

The sweet boy rose to his feet, ready to offer his classmate a hand. Helga continued to sit, wide eyed on the ground. She stared at the hand being offered to her. As she was attempting to take it, she looked back and forth from Arnold, to their friends.

Accepting his help in front of them didn't seem as though it would be _that_ big a deal. That is, until she noticed out of the corner of her eye how close they were to the school. All their friends were in the front yard, making their way inside.

A few of their friends had already pointed out how unusual it was for her and Arnold to be seen hanging out alone. She didn't need the whole school's opinion.

"I mean, watch where you're going football head! Come on Pheebs!"

Arnold took his hand back, more disappointed than surprised by Helga's behavior. He knew she wasn't a bad person. Her insecurities were just uncontrollable at times. The fact that she couldn't fix it however, wasn't making it any easier for him to decide how he really felt about her.

"Mm, mm, mmm. I don't know what makes her think she'll ever kiss you again if you're not allowed to hold her hand."

 _P.S118_

 _Hallway_

Helga was standing by her locker, feeling guilty about the way she had blown Arnold off. There wasn't a chance of him thinking about how much he loved her good side if she wasn't willing to show it more often.

Just as she was about to head for class, she heard him and Gerald heading down her end of the hall. Helga crept around the corner of the lockers to eavesdrop on the boys.

"Don't worry man. Timberly is constantly losing my things, but they always turn up. Just be glad you don't have a brother that _breaks_ your things."

"I guess so."

A frown formed on Helga's face, as she listened to her beloved's conversation about once again not having found his dad's journal. The thought of this along with the way she had refused to accept his help that morning made her heart begin to ache.

The guilty girl fell against the lockers and slid to the floor. As she pulled out her locket with her beloved's picture, she wondered how much longer it would be before she was able to bring herself to act appropriately in front of everyone.

 _Oh Arnold! You poor tortured creature! Here you are without so much as a trace left of your parents. Rather than comforting you in your time of need, I show no sign of gratitude for the undeserved comforting gestures you offer to me each and every day. Oh Arnold I…_

Again, the tormented girl's attention was brought back, so she could plant her fist in the face of the one who interrupted her private moment.

 _Classroom_

The students all made it to class, still waiting for the teacher. "I'm so excited about this year! I wonder who our new teacher will be?" Eugene asked, wondering if any of his friends knew the answer.

"I believe Mr. Packenham has transferred to another school. We should be meeting his replacement momentarily." Phoebe explained.

While some of the students were anxious to meet their new educator, Helga sat quietly in her desk, wondering how she could make things up to Arnold. Maybe she could find the journal for him. That would be another example of how much his happiness meant to her. It still wouldn't excuse the fact that she wasn't being nice to him in public.

Moments later, the class turned to see someone entering the room. A perky teacher with a wide grin on his face waved to the students and said "Hello class! It's going to be a special year!"

Dull looks formed on each of the students faces when seeing their same teacher would be teaching them again. Gerald lifted an eyebrow and asked "You're kidding right?"

"This is a disaster!" Rhonda leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed, already picturing how lame the year was going to be.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be here! You're supposed to be with those stupid fourth graders!" Harold whined, not liking the idea of having the same teacher.

"Well Harold, a new teacher applied to teach the fourth grade. I told Principal Wartz I would be honored to teach this special group of students again!"

"Aww gee." the husky boy complained, as he leaned back in his chair with his arms hanging at his sides.

"Now settle down class. This year's math lesson is going to be very exciting!"

Many of the students began to moan at the idea of starting the lesson, while Stinky asked "How in the heck can math be exciting?"

Phoebe's eyes lit with anticipation at the opportunity to explain her classmate's dilemma. "Arithmetic can be used in many extraordinary ways to fulfill the necessary needs of a person's lifestyle. Anywhere from engineering to accounting."

"Thank you Phoebe. Now let's get started on fractions!"

Rather than rolling her eyes at the perky teacher, Helga had her face glued to her notebook. If only she knew where to start looking for the journal. Unfortunately, she didn't even know what it looked like.

 _A Few Hours Later_

Lunch at last came, and Helga turned to hear Phoebe ask "Ready for lunch Helga?"

Helga was starving. After not eating yesterday, she assumed she'd at least have dinner to come home to. The whole reason she left was because Olga had tried to convince her to help cook lunch.

 _Flashback_

 _Helga's House_

After a happy evening spent talking to Arnold, Helga went home, anxious to eat whatever Olga had prepared for the family.

The hungry girl walked in to hear sobbing in the living room. Helga cocked her brow, not knowing what was going on. She stepped further inside, until she saw her sister crying on the couch.

 _Oh criminy what now?_

"What's going on?" the pre-teen asked her sad sibling.

"Oh Helga! It's terrible! Daddy's losing so many customers!"

Helga pinched the bridge of her nose, annoyed with her family's problems. Whenever they were successful, it turned out to be a problem for the town. Now here they were failing, all because no one needed their help.

After seeing her sister had been too depressed to cook, Helga went to the kitchen to pour herself some cereal. Even with her empty stomach, the thought of Bob's business crisis was starting to become more distracting.

 _End of Flashback_

 _Cafeteria_

Helga stood in line in the cafeteria. She had just enough money to buy herself a tapioca. An eager smile formed on her face after grabbing the eye pleasing dessert. Just as she was leaving the line, she heard "There goes the last of the tapioca."

The nervous girl's eyes widened when she heard these words leave her beloved's lips. All morning she had felt guilty about not letting him do something nice for her. Now was her chance to make it up to him. All she had to do was ignore her insecurities, and not worry about what the other kids' opinions would be.

Helga slowly turned around to see the oblong headed boy staring sadly at the empty dessert space in the lunch line. After taking a deep breath, she managed to walk over and ask "You really want this Arnold?"

Gerald lifted an eyebrow at the sweet gesture. It was one of those 'You have to see it to believe it' moments. He hadn't actually seen her hand it over yet however.

"Well yeah. If you don't?"

Gerald watched the quivering look on the tough girl's face. The dessert was shaking in her hand, as though it was ready to pounce on his best friend's sweater.

Helga couldn't allow herself to say anything. It would just lead to a stream of insults. Therefore, the nervous girl set the dessert down on Arnold's tray, and ran off to her table.

Arnold watched his friend race off, wondering if something was wrong. "Maybe I should check on her Gerald."

The mild boy placed his hands on his waist and glared at his friend's crazy (yet not surprising) suggestion. "Why? Just so you can take it back over to her and ask her to finish what she's always starting."

 _Helga's Table_

Phoebe watched her friend quickly take her seat at the table. Helga's shoulders were tense, as she leaned over the table, doing her best to avoid eye contact with a certain boy.

"Are you alright Helga? I thought you were going to get yourself some lunch?"

"I'll be okay Pheebs."

 _Another Table_

"Did you see that girls?"

"See what Rhonda?" Nadine asked her nosy friend.

"Helga just gave Arnold her dessert. I knew something was up when I saw them at the theater a few weeks ago." the modish girl grinned.

"I remember running into Arnold at the theater. It was oh so sweet of him to ask Helga out!" Lila exclaimed.

The bell to end lunch soon rang, and the students all gathered their trays. All except one that is. Arnold looked across the room to see Helga hadn't eaten anything. Now _he_ felt terrible.

 _Classroom_

Helga sat in her desk, relieved she had managed to do something nice for Arnold without causing a scene. Now if she could just figure out where to search for the journal, everything would be perfect.

Arnold entered the room to see her staring at her notebook. The guilty boy was tempted to confront her, and apologize for what he felt may have been guilting her into giving him the tapioca.

Before he could say anything, the students heard a voice over the intercom…

"Students of P.S.118, I need Helga Pataki to report to my office. That is all."

Helga cocked her brow at the announcement, not knowing what the reason could be. Despite how hard it was, she managed to avoid causing a scene in the cafeteria when giving Arnold his dessert.

The curious girl rose from her seat just in time to hear "Ooohhh look everybody! Helga's in trouble!"

Not appreciating the inappropriate remark, Helga turned to wave a fist in Harold's face and scowled "Shut it Pink boy before I send you to the _nurse's_ office!"

"Okay...Madam Fortress Mommy." the immature boy muttered to himself, as he crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat.

After seeing her make her threat, Arnold watched Helga grab her bag to march out of the classroom with. The baffled boy took his seat, hoping everything was alright with her.

 _Principal Wartz's Office_

Helga entered the office, not knowing what to expect. It couldn't be any worse than sitting through one of Mr. Simmons' Nutrition lectures. Or so she thought…

"Ms. Pataki, thank you for coming." Principal Wartz welcomed the perplexed student.

Helga immediately turned to see her sister sobbing in the corner of the office. "What's going on?"

Olga quickly reached for her younger sibling to pull her in for a suffocating hug. "Oh baby sister! They've taken everything!"

"Get off me! What the heck are you talking about?" Helga scowled, after shoving her clingy sibling aside.

"Our possessions are being repossessed. We have to live at The Beeper Emporium." Olga explained, with mascara dripping down her face.

While Helga had listened to her family's financial complaints the past few weeks, she wasn't expecting this. Bob had complained about financial issues his whole life, and still managed to uphold his business.

Now only three months after losing his business associate, it was as if the town decided beepers were as bad as Scheck.

The girl in the pink jumper stood watching her emotional sibling, unsure of what to say. Helga had never gotten her hopes up about anything. She knew to think realistically and expect the worst from things when it came to her life.

 _3 Hours Later_

 _Classroom_

The last bell came and the students eagerly left the room. "Well man, one day down. Nine months to go." Gerald pointed out.

Arnold ignored the witty remark, and began making his way out the door. Half the class was still gathering their things. Nadine looked at her stylish friend and asked "Hey Rhonda, you want to come to the lake with me?"

"Seriously Nadine, when are you going to give up that disgusting habit of yours? Come to the mall with me and we'll find you some caprini flats to replace those atrocious tennis shoes you're always wearing."

Nadine sighed at her friend's constant attempt to change her interests. She was no more interested in her appearance than Rhonda was in nature. "I'm not going to the mall. Now that school's started, I may not get another chance to search for insects for awhile."

"Suit yourself." the proud girl sneered.

Nadine headed in the opposite direction of her friend, ready for a fun afternoon at the lake.

 _Helga's House_

"For crying out loud Miriam! We're trying to get as much as we can to the emporium. You past out in the kitchen's not helping!"

Walking towards the door with a box full of her personal items, Helga scoffed "Pttss...Just leave her here. She's practically part of the counter anyway."

The neglected girl began making her way down the porch steps to load her private belongings into the family car. As she opened the trunk to push her things inside, Helga heard from behind…

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

The unlucky girl pulled her head out of the car to see her wealthy classmate standing before her.

Looking at the stuck up girl wearing an evil grin with her hands on her hips, Helga crossed her arms and scowled "What do you want Princess?!"

Ignoring the question, Rhonda went on to say "So this is what you were called out of class for?"

"What's your point?"

"Nothing I suppose. It's just interesting to see your dad being dethroned after years of listening to him brag about being the king."

"You mean like that impressive week you spent living in that run down old dump of a boarding house, all because your parents couldn't manage to keep their stocks steady?"

Rhonda glared at the harsh remark made about her family. Both she and Helga knew the Lloyds could have managed to avoid being thrown out if they hadn't wasted so much of their money on meaningless possessions.

Helga watched her unsupportive classmate continue on her way just as the rest of the Pataki's were making their way outside.

"Alright, that's the last of it." Bob assured them, as he loaded the last box into the car.

Helga took one last look at the house she grew up in. The place she spent years building shrines of her beloved, filling book after book with poems about him, dreaming of the day she'd finally be able to express her feelings to him.

 _City Lake_

"It's so beautiful!" Nadine said, holding the new insect she found. After an hour spent at the lake, the insect lover was preparing to step out when she noticed something.

 _What's that over there?_

Nadine stepped out of the water, to see what was sitting near a tree a few feet away. She picked up what appeared to be a worn out book. The nature girl began reading and immediately became intrigued by the information.

The location it described, that she knew possessed hundreds of different species of insects. All the stories and information listed made her want to race home and look everything up; find out what bugs pertained to the plants and medicine mentioned in it.

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold entered the boarding house, preparing to head up to his room. After making it past the wild animals, he was stopped by another wild figure.

"Hey grandma." Arnold greeted his scuba suit wearing elder.

"Ahhh James Bond. How was your trip to the Bahamas?"

Assuming she meant school, Arnold replied "Okay I guess."

"Well, I'm off to find the lost city of Atlantis!" the eccentric lady exclaimed, as she headed out of the boarding house in her swim fins and goggles.

The pre-teen began heading upstairs after seeing his imaginative grandmother walk past him. Arnold made his way down the hall just in time to hear "That you shortman?"

The blonde boy stopped in the living room to see Phil reading in his rocker. "Hey grandpa."

"Uh oh. What's the problem shortman?"

Arnold took a seat on the couch across from his grandpa. Leaning back with his hands folded in his lap, he explained "I'm worried something happened to Helga. She got called into the office today."

"Hmm...that's a shame."

"Do you think she's alright?"

"Sure she is shortman. I got called into the office all the time when I was a kid. Of course your grandma was always pulling some crazy prank to get me in trouble." Phil added, while rubbing his chin.

 _The Beeper Emporium_

"Well, here we are." Bob said, stepping out of the car.

"Huh? What? Oh umm...right." Miriam stuttered, having just woken up.

Helga stepped out of the car with her belongings, ready to continue her miserable life, just in a new atmosphere. She stepped inside the store, not knowing where to put her belongings. Not that she had much, but at some point, she would need a place to sleep.

"So where exactly am I supposed to sleep in this forsaken dump?"

"Hey! Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey! You watch your mouth little missy!" Bob pointed a finger at his daughter. His business may not be amazing anymore, but he wasn't about to tolerate anything negative said about it.

"Whatever, I'm going out." she said, dropping her box by the register.

 _Phoebe's House_

Phoebe was in her room, getting a head start on the math lesson they would be learning that week. The well-prepared girl was sitting at her desk, reviewing her book when she heard a knock at her bedroom door.

"Yes?"

"Phoebe dear, there's someone here to see you."

The small girl turned in her chair to see Helga walking into the room.

"Helga, is everything alright? I wanted to call you, but I didn't know if it would be appropriate, seeing as how I was unfamiliar with the circumstances pertaining to why you left class."

A dull look formed on the neglected girl's face, as she invited herself in. "Pttss...it's not like anyone would have answered if you did."

"What do you mean?"

Laying on the bed with her legs crossed, shooting a paddle ball in the air, Helga explained "My call to the office was just an invitation to see Olga crying her eyes out."

"So your family's doing worse?"

Helga tossed the paddle ball aside as she sat up to explain "We're past that Pheebs. Everything's been repossessed thanks to Bob's inability to let go of his foolish pride. Now we're being forced to live in that sorry excuse for a business of his."

"Oh dear! I'm terribly sorry Helga!"

Helga sat staring at the floor. The silence that had taken over the room was interrupted when the girls heard a loud rumbling. Helga held her stomach, as she listened to her friend say "Would you like to join us for dinner? We're having rice and spring rolls."

A warm smile came to the troubled girl's face, as she said "Thanks Pheebs. Sounds great."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5: Let's Be Honest

 **I'm sure it's obvious I copied and pasted the information I used to explain Nadine's insect information. I just didn't want anyone to think I took credit for it. Bugs are my biggest fear, so I don't know anything about them (nor would I ever want to)**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 _P.S. 118_

"Say hello to my new caprini flats! The same ones from the cover of this months Pre-Teen Miss!" Rhonda said proudly showing off her new shoes.

"They're just ever so lovely!" Lila exclaimed, eyeing the wealthy girl's shoes.

Rhonda continued to brag about her new necessities until she noticed someone approaching the other end of the hall.

"One side moron! I'm walking here!"

An evil grin formed on the modish girl's face as she watched the girl in the pink jumper head her way.

Helga began to storm past the group of girls gathered around Rhonda, until she heard "I don't blame you for showing up today Helga."

The rough girl halted after hearing these words. She angrily whipped around to glare at the self absorbed pre-teen and asked "What's that supposed to mean, Princess?"

"Even with the tragic situation your family seems to be in, skipping school just to stay at that sorry excuse for a business would have been even more depressing." Rhonda sneered.

Helga clenched her fists at the insult, while the rest of the girls stood with baffled looks on their faces. No one aside from Phoebe had heard about the Patakis' unfortunate situation.

Just as she was about to introduce Rhonda to Ol' Betsy, Helga noticed two familiar faces heading in their direction.

If she stuck around, Rhonda would use it as the perfect opportunity to expose her secret. That being the case, Helga fled the hallway, and continued on her way to class.

Rhonda smiled happily at the thought of having scared away her opponent. She continued to watch Helga run off, until she heard "What's wrong with Helga?"

The girls all turned to see Arnold and Gerald wondering what had scared Helga off.

"I'm sure she'd love to tell you herself Arnold." Rhonda said with a taunting tone that lit Arnold's eyes with surprise.

 _Classroom_

The students began entering the room one by one. After seeing Helga nervously hunched over in her desk, Rhonda took a seat beside her best friend, as she saw Arnold entering the room.

"Oh this is too perfect!"

When the evil girl didn't receive a response from her friend, she looked over and asked "What's that you're reading, Nadine?"

The outdoor girl held up the book she had found at the lake the previous day. "I found it sitting near a tree, when I was getting ready to leave the lake. It's filled with all sorts of information about the forms of nature that exist outside of where we live."

Before she could give her repulsed opinion, the students turned to see Mr. Simmons entering the room.

"Class, I have an announcement to make."

Helga ignored these words, keeping her face glued to her notebook. Normally, she would spend every free moment staring at her beloved. After the scene Rhonda had made in the hall, she couldn't risk him confronting her about it.

"I was given some very serious news about our classmate Helga yesterday…"

The blonde girl's eyes widened, as her shoulders immediately tensed. She sunk lower in her chair, praying he wasn't about to reveal the news he was implying.

 _Flashback_

 _After School_

Mr. Simmons was heading down the hallway when all his students had left for the day. Nearing the end of the hall, he saw Principal Wartz pointing a finger at whatever student passed him.

"Son, don't run in the hall! You there, that's enough water. Young man, shut your locker!"

Mr. Simmons approached the agitated principal and asked "Umm Principal Wartz? Is everything alright?"

"No, I'm afraid it's not Mr. Simmons. I just spent half my afternoon listening to Ms. Pataki's older sibling go on about their financial crisis. Now I'm behind on my budgeting."

"Oh, oh my! That does not sound good. What type of crisis is her family in?"

 _End of Flashback_

An astonishing look appeared on Arnold's face after listening to the story. As terrible as this was, he was more concerned about how she was handling the announcement. Her insecurities would barely allow her to act like a decent person for five minutes in front of a friend. What would revealing this type of information in front of the school do to her reputation?

Mr. Simmons watched his students whisper to one another after he finished his story. Rather than asking Helga's opinion, he added "Let's all do our best to remind Helga she's special and loved. I brought my Truth Crown just for the occasion!"

Sweat began to form on Helga's face, knowing by the end of the day, she would be the laughing stock of the town.

"Hey look everybody! It's Helga the orphan!" Harold pointed a finger, laughing at his own joke.

While Rhonda loved the idea of bringing Helga to her lowest point, she couldn't help but point out Harold's stupidity. "Harold, she is not an orphan. She still has a family… just one that can't afford to keep her in a home worth mentioning."

Arnold heard the loud grunting of his friend sitting behind him. He turned in his desk to see her fists clenched, as though she was ready to strangle half the class.

Gerald turned to see what his best friend had his eye on. After getting a good look at Helga's vindictive appearance, the placid boy shook his head and said "Mm, mm, mmm, This is definitely not good."

"Alright class. Let's get started….

 _Ten Minutes Later_

"I reckon this brings back a few memories." Stinky said, after viewing the desks that had all been moved to one big circle.

Some of the students were curious to see where this would lead, while others had their mind on other things.

"Eugene, you can be the first to wear the crown!" Mr. Simmons said excitedly, placing the plastic piece atop the student's head.

"Me?! Gosh, okay!"

Mr. Simmons looked at his overly content student and added "Say something supportive to Helga, that will remind her how much we love her and think she's special."

Helga sunk lower in her chair, feeling her face turn red. She was the only one in the room not having to say anything, yet she felt as though it was _her_ who was on trial.

"Well, I thought she was great as the It Girl! I wanted her to sign my magazine, but she shoved me away from her. I haven't washed that shirt since!"

"Thank you Eugene! That was very nice."

 _Criminy! I'm surrounded!_

Helga buried her face in her hands. Only one person had gone, and she already felt humiliated.

Eugene then passed the crown over to Sheena. Arnold (who was sitting beside Helga), wanted badly to comfort her. Hold her hand, pass her a note, just do something to put her mind at ease. All he could do was watch her tense more and more as the crown made its way around the room.

"I thought she looked lovely at Rhonda's sleepover last year!" Sheena exclaimed, while a few snickers were heard. As scary as the night had been for the boys, it was hard not to laugh at the idea of Helga pretending to be feminine.

"What a wonderful memory Sheena. Okay Harold. You're next."

"Ohhh I don't want to wear that stupid thing!" the husky boy whined.

"Now Harold, this is a very special activity. We're trying to show Helga we care about her."

"Why do I have to do it then?"

The class began to chuckle at Harold's comeback. Just as Mr. Simmons was about to give a reason why, Helga stood from her desk and snapped "Oh shut it Pink boy!"

"Fine Harold, you don't have to wear the crown. I would still like for you to say something supportive to your classmate."

"Ohhhh fine. Let's see. Well, there was the time she saved my life..." Harold began to explain, before being interrupted.

"Saved your life?" Gerald immediately questioned.

"Yeah. It was when we missed the bus on our field trip to the chocolate factory. We stole a bike from a couple of circus clowns that ended up chasing us into a lake. Then this old guy with a canoe gave us a ride. His boat had a hole in it though. After it sunk, Helga helped me swim to shore."

Helga rested her chin in her hand, with her elbow propped on the desk. Rather than feeling tense at the idea of being recognized, she was annoyed at the memory of that frustrating night.

"Boy howdy! Helga saved Harold. Talk about weird." Sid felt the need to point out.

"It was a very caring thing to do Sid. Why don't you tell us something you appreciate about Helga?"

"Uhhhh…." the nervous boy stuttered, with the crown placed upon his head. One wrong word could end in tragedy for him.

"While we're young please?!" Helga scowled. The sooner they finished, the sooner she could put the embarrassing situation behind herself.

"O-okay...well you were pretty funny at the Cocoa Hut." Sid mentioned.

Mr. Simmons quickly interrupted to ask "By the way Helga, who was it you were doing a 'special' impression of?"

The class rolled its eyes, while the annoyed girl continued to rest her chin in the palm of her hand.

"Here you go Nadine." Sid offered, but wasn't able to get her attention.

"Nadine? What's that you're reading?" Mr. Simmons asked.

The nature obsessed girl glanced up from her book to see the room staring at her. "Oh sorry. I was just…"

"Pttss...save your breath. It couldn't have been any worse than this." Helga smirked, wishing the lunch bell would hurry and come.

Nadine took the crown from Sid, trying to think of a pleasant memory she had of Helga. "I thought you did a nice job performing in the play Romeo and Juliet. I didn't know you were interested in that type of thing."

Helga's eyes lit as she quickly lifted her head from her chin. Arnold turned to face his friend, who began tugging at her shirt collar. "Oh well I uhh…."

"Yes, you did a wonderful job Helga!" Mr. Simmons added.

Nadine then passed the crown over, which Helga was actually happy to see. For a moment, she was worried she would have to reveal why she had chosen to perform.

Her tension quickly returned however when she saw the next person with the crown. "Okay Rhonda. Tell us something special you like about Helga."

Helga leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed, glaring at her competitive classmate. Nothing worse could be revealed about her.

"Well, I suppose being related to someone as high-class as Olga Pataki could earn her a few points."

Helga began to grit her teeth at the snobbish girl. It was bad enough she had to be compared to her sister every day at home. She didn't need everyone outside of her home life reminding her she was second best in the family.

Rhonda then passed the crown over to Stinky, content with the rude remark she had made about her classmate.

"Okay Stinky, what do you have to share with us?" the curious teacher wondered.

The country boy stared at the frustrated girl and replied "Well, I reckon I enjoyed being her boyfriend."

Helga's eyes lit with fear, while Arnold quickly turned to look at her.

"Say what now?" Gerald couldn't help but ask.

"It was a business deal. She paid me a Mr. Nutty candy bar for every day I spent being her boyfriend."

The class began to erupt with laughter, while Arnold wanted to leave the room and immediately get the rest of the details.

As angry as Helga was for having that information released, all she cared about at that moment was not making eye contact with her beloved.

"Class settle down. If Stinky thinks that was special, it's not our place to laugh at him."

Helga smacked her face at the description of one of the many fourth grade schemes she planned that failed. Nothing ever worked out like she planned for it to.

"Here you go Ms. Lila." Stinky said, passing the crown along to his perfect classmate.

"Thank you just ever so much! Helga, I thought you and Arnold were just ever so sweet at the April Fool's Dance."

Another nervous look appeared on the pigtailed girl's face. Lila had sworn to keep Helga's secret, now here she was drawing attention towards the two of them. Was she looking to meet Ol' Betsy?

Even Arnold couldn't help but blush at the compliment. Thinking back to the night, he remembered everything that was said and done during the dance…

 _Was I trying to flirt with her?_

Lila then anxiously passed the crown over to the one person Helga didn't feel she had to worry about humiliating her.

"Let's hear from you now Phoebe!" Mr. Simmons insisted.

Phoebe looked at her best friend with what appeared to be guilty eyes. She knew Helga hated this type of attention. Even if she was simply complimenting her friend, Helga didn't accept any special attention given to her well.

"Well, I've always been quite appreciative of the true friendship she's shown me over the years. I know I can always count on her to stand up for me."

Helga blushed at these words. As much as she hated the attention, she knew she couldn't be more lucky to have a best friend like Phoebe.

"Oh thank you Phoebe. That was lovely!" Mr. Simmons said, while placing a hand over his heart.

The small Asian girl then passed the crown along to the next student.

"Okay Curly. Tell us something you like about Helga."

"Ha! After the evil trick she played on me, why would I find anything about her to be special?!" Curly snapped.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Helga asked, as the rest of the class listened attentively.

Curly stood from his desk to point a finger at the blonde girl and shouted "Last year! You said you and the rest of our friends would meet me at the zoo to free the animals! Well, I freed them...no thanks to your phony promise!"

Helga starred with a dull look at the crazy boy across the room. Did he actually expect her to feel guilty about that?

"Umm okay Curly. Why don't we give the crown to someone else?" Mr. Simmons suggested, not knowing what to say.

"Brainy, you can go next." the happy teacher said, while anxiously placing the crown upon his student's head.

The dull look remained on Helga's face, not expecting to enjoy this. Even if what he said about her was nice, they would be dead by the time he got the words out.

"*Wheeze* I like to *Wheeze* watch Helga recite…"

Helga's eyes widened the moment she realized what he was referring to. She immediately stood from her seat to snatch the crown. "Okay, turn's over Wheezin' Ed!"

Mr. Simmons watched his upset student holding the crown with her hands on her waist. "Is everything alright Helga?"

Not wanting to explain her need for doing that, she rolled her eyes and scoffed "Yeah, yeah, who hasn't had this thing yet?"

The only two remaining were Arnold and Gerald. Mr. Simmons took the crown over to hand to Gerald. Helga sat down beside Arnold, ready to have whatever Gerald said slide in one ear and out the other.

"Well Pataki, you didn't make it easy, but I think you deserve a round of applause for saving the neighborhood." Gerald felt the need to admit.

Both Helga and Arnold turned anxiously to face the mild boy. The class hadn't heard anything about her part in saving the neighborhood.

"Saving the neighborhood? I thought you and Arnold did that?" Sid said to Gerald.

Arnold quickly stepped in to say "Helga was there to help us. She just didn't want to take any of the credit for it."

A small bit of relief formed inside Helga. That is, until she saw whose turn it was.

Gerald passed the crown over to his best friend, and listened to Mr. Simmons say "Okay Arnold, name something special about Helga."

Helga could feel her heart beginning to pound. This was the last person she ever wanted to look weak in front of. Accepting a compliment from him in front of the whole class made her feel incredibly vulnerable.

Arnold smiled at his nervous friend and said "I can't tell you how happy I was when you found my hat."

The blonde boy wanted desperately to reach out for her hand at that moment. While he was anxious to do so, Helga was thinking in her mind about how angry he would be if he knew she was actually _returning_ it.

"Oh uhh don't mention it." she gulped.

"Thank you class. You all did a wonderful job! You can move your desks back now." Mr. Simmons instructed them.

 _After School_

Helga had remained quiet the rest of the day. Even at lunch, she barely spoke a word to Phoebe. Arnold didn't want to bother her in front of everyone. Now that the day was over however, nothing was going to stop him from getting a few of the answers he had been waiting for.

"Hey Helga. You want to come over to my house for awhile?"

Helga looked into his hopeful eyes and said "Uhh sure I guess."

The two began heading for the boarding house, while the rest of the students headed towards their own houses.

 _Nadine's House_

After making it home, Nadine brought her new book over to her computer. Flipping through the pages, reading the nature information, she read on a page these trips took place in San Lorenzo. She wasn't going to waste any time looking up all the information she could find on its whereabouts...

Armored scale insects include invasive economic pests that have been widely studied in human-altered habitats but have received less attention in natural habitats. Although armored scale insects are nearly ubiquitous associates of woody plants, they generally go uncollected in general surveys because they are not susceptible to mass collecting techniques, such as fogging, beating, or trapping. We found that, unlike other rainforest canopy taxa, the armored scale insect fauna is dominated by highly polyphagous cosmopolitan pests. However, we also found new species, and we describe two of them here: _Furcaspis douglorum_ Okusu & Normark n. sp. and _Hemiberlesia andradae_ Okusu & Normark n. sp. We provide amendments to the relevant keys, including a new key to New World species of _Hemiberlesia_ Cockerell that lack perivulvar pores. In this context, we treat _Abgrallaspis_ Balachowsky as a subjective synonym of _Hemiberlesia_ , and we transfer its species to _Hemiberlesia_ , except for the following assignments to other genera: _Affirmaspis flavida_ (De Lotto), n. comb., _Aspidiotus furcillae_ Brain, rev. comb., _Clavaspis perseae_ (Davidson), n. comb., _Diaspidiotus fraxini_ (McKenzie), n. comb., and _Davidsonaspis aguacatae_ (Evans, Watson, and Miller), n. comb. _Davidsonaspis_ Normark, n. gen. We regard _Abgrallaspis azadirachti_ Ojha and _A. narainus_ Dutta & Singh as synonyms of _Aonidiella orientalis_ (Newstead), new synonymy.

 _Walk_

Arnold and Helga were walking towards the boarding house. Arnold was moving quickly, wanting to talk to his friend about a few things. On their way home, they passed the City Library.

"Hey there's Curly." Arnold pointed.

Not seeming to care, Helga stared at the eccentric boy, while listening to Arnold say "Hey, what's up Curly?"

The overly dramatic boy waved a fist and shouted "I'm trying to find my animal journal!"

"Animal journal?" Arnold asked.

"Yeah! After being handed one by a frail old lady, I took it with me to the zoo. Those criminal guards chased me away when I tried to free the animals! I haven't been able to find the book since."

Arnold rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. He wasn't blunt enough to accuse Curly of being crazy.

"That's too bad. I'm sure you'll find it soon."

"I don't need your pity!" the weird boy snapped, waving a hand in his classmate's face.

Helga watched Curly storm off, and said to Arnold "Poor twisted freak."

 _Boarding House_

The pre-teens walked in, past the stampede of pets. Arnold pulled Helga up the stairs, leading her down the hall, until he heard "That you shortman?"

"Oh, hey grandpa."

"I guess your little friend didn't get into too much trouble after all." Phil winked.

Helga cocked her brow at the remark, while Arnold replied "Uhh yeah. We're going to go to my room."

"Have fun shortman."

 _Arnold's Room_

Helga nervously took a seat on the bed, hoping Arnold had forgotten about everything mentioned in class that day. That was too much to ask.

Arnold took a seat beside his friend and said "I'm so sorry about your family. I had no idea they were in that much trouble!"

Helga crossed her arms at the remark and scoffed "Pttss...of course not. Why would Bob do anything to imply he needs help?"

Arnold wasn't about to point out how similar she and her dad were when it came to not wanting to appear weak in front of people. That wasn't the way to go if he was going to get her to open up to him however.

"Well, I'm here for you." he said, taking her hand in his.

Helga could feel her heart pounding, as he began to caress it. She was tempted to yank it away before she heard him ask "So, what was Stinky talking about when he said you paid him to be your boyfriend?"

The blonde girl gulped at the question. Arnold hadn't actually confirmed his feelings about her yet. If she told him all the schemes she pulled just to get his attention, how crazy would he think she was.

Then again, she had already admitted to stalking him (which he was apparently able to look past).

"Oh, I was just trying to impress someone. Saying it like that though makes me sound like the idiot for choosing him to make someone jealous."

 _Criminy! Why did I just say that?!_

Arnold continued to rub her hand, as he asked "You were using him to make me jealous?"

"Well doi! You didn't actually think I liked that loser did you?" she scowled.

A small smile formed on Arnold's face, as he said "No, but I also didn't think you liked me. It was pretty shocking when you said those things to me on FTi."

"Yeah, well like I said. It was crazy back there…" the nervous girl stuttered.

Arnold wanted to make her admit she meant everything she said. He knew how she really felt about it. Another issue she and her dad both shared was not being able to let go of their pride.

After hearing about what she was currently going through, it didn't seem right to put more emotional stress on her.

"Maybe a little. I think it just proved we make a great team." he winked.

Helga let out a heavy swoon, having a hard time believing the love of her life thought so positively about her. Maybe he hadn't said the words yet, but each sweet gesture he made towards her, gave her hope that he did love her.


	7. Chapter 7

**This is a short chapter, but it outlines the rest of the story. Hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 6: How Do You Know?

Arnold came home from school, not pleased with the way the day had gone. Half the class was still making jokes about Helga's special time with the truth crown, while Rhonda was taking advantage of any opportunity she had to point out how terribly the Patakis' were doing.

Arnold began dragging his bag towards his room, when he passed Phil sitting in his rocker. "Hey there shortman!"

"Hey grandpa." the blonde boy sighed.

"Oohh bad day?"

The distressed boy took a seat on the couch. With his hands folded in his lap, he began to explain "I'm worried about Helga. It's bad enough she's living at the Beeper Emporium. Now the whole class knows, and won't stop mentioning it."

"Well, you didn't make fun of her did you?" Phil asked his grandson.

Arnold lifted an eyebrow at what he found to be more of an accusation than a question. "No?"

"Then what the heck are you worried about?! You didn't do anything wrong." Phil exclaimed, feeling Arnold was over-reacting.

The preteen sat forward on the couch, as he stared at the floor and explained "I don't know? It just bothers me seeing her like that. I don't like seeing any of my friends upset, but this feels different for some reason."

Phil chuckled at his grandson's confusion and replied "You know shortman. I went through the same thing at your age…"

"Really?" Arnold asked, instantly lifting his head to meet his grandfather's eyes.

"One day my dad told me I was going to find a girl I would love just as much as he did my mother. I didn't believe him though. The only girl who paid me any attention was your grandma...and it wasn't good attention." Phil smiled, thinking back to all the pranks Pookie played on him.

"So, you didn't like anyone when you were a kid?"

"Not right away I didn't. Your grandma finally came to her senses, and admitted how she felt. That just left me to decide how I felt."

"Did you ask her out?"

"Nope. After she told me, I spent days thinking she had to be pulling some kind of crazy prank on me. The more I thought about it though, the more I noticed things changing about myself."

"What kind of things?" Arnold asked, appearing intrigued by the story.

"I always caught myself staring at her during class. It was like I thought the back of her head had the answers to our next math test!"

Arnold sat listening, wondering how much Phil would say that may relate to him and Helga.

"Just knowing I was going to be doing something with her, be it stickball or jacks made me feel like I was floating."

"Uhh floating, grandpa?" Arnold asked, unsure of what Phil meant.

"Hehe yes. Eventually, all it took was one look at that little trouble maker to put me on cloud nine."

"So you knew you were in love just because you kept paying attention to her?" Arnold wondered, feeling there had to be more to it than that.

"You're _always_ thinking about the one you have special feelings for shortman! Why do you think I'm always holding my stomach around your grandma?"

Phil rubbed his grandson's head, laughing at the remark he had made about his love life.

After the elderly man sat back in his chair, Arnold fixed his hair and asked "Why was grandma so mean to you when you were kids if she actually loved you though?"

"It's not always easy telling people how you feel about them shortman. Imagine if I laughed in her face the moment she told me. Her self esteem would be worse than her raspberry cobbler!"

"Uhh right, grandpa."

"Just remember, when you really love someone, you want them to be happy. That's why you still put up with all those crazy shenanigans that little friend of yours with the big pink bow and the one eyebrow is always pulling."

Phil watched Arnold look towards the ceiling, considering this a moment, until he added "I'm willing to bet that's why she normally takes your side whenever her dad's causing trouble. That and the guy's just a whack job, so who could blame her?"

A smile began to form on the young boy's face, as he thought about all the times Helga had taken his side in the past…

Mighty Pete

Grudge Match

Parents Day

Saving the neighborhood

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right! You'll know how much you care about her the more you find yourself trying new things together….oh wait a minute. She can't cook can she?"

"Uhh no?"

"Phew! I was going to say, brace yourself whenever she pulls a new recipe out of the closet!"

Arnold gave his grandfather a dull look, as he listened to Phil add "Which reminds me, if you _really_ care about her, you won't mind any gross stuff."

Arnold lifted an eyebrow at the remark and asked "Like what?"

"How the heck should I know? I don't know how her mind works. I just know your grandma's cooking is as unpleasant as it is surprising, which means that little friend of yours could have some kind of crazy trait."

The blonde boy once again glanced towards the ceiling, thinking about how this may relate to Helga. If everything she said to him on FTi was true, she had made a shrine of him. Exactly how many had she made though? Was it an actual hobby of hers?

"On a positive note shortman, learning to deal with these things just makes you stronger. If you love someone, it's hard to get distracted by other things. I remember Jimmy Kafka racing home after school for a big date he had planned. He was so worried about not being ready on time, that he tripped and slammed his head on the sidewalk!"

"Did he go to the hospital?" Arnold asked, propping his head in his hand, with his elbow on his knee.

"Heck no! He shot straight up and continued racing for the house. Nothing seemed more painful to him than the thought of missing that date!"

Arnold leaned back against the couch, it was hard to picture such a feeling when he had never been in a relationship. He had never been with anyone who he would have to compare any physical pain to the idea of losing.

Phil watched his grandson sit quietly, pondering how this could relate to Helga. Knowing how confused Arnold still was, the elderly man added "I know it doesn't make a whole lot of sense now shortman, but one thing you're guaranteed to notice eventually is their quirks."

"What's that?"

"You know! Quirks! The little, cute, stupid, annoying, unique things only the person you love could manage to get away with impressing you by doing! Like your grandma in that crazy karate outfit of hers...or I should say _all_ those crazy outfits of hers. I'd probably report any other woman I saw acting like that!"

This was going to take some thinking. Phil's words made Arnold immediately think of what Helga was recognized for…

Name calling

Anti-feminine techniques

Hostile behavior

Were these appealing quirks, or was there something else about her that kept his attention?

"Thanks grandpa. I think I'll go work on my homework."

Phil watched his grandson head for the attic with his backpack and waved "Anytime shortman!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7: I See You

A month had gone by and Arnold had been waiting to see if any of those special signs Phil had told him about seemed to be having an effect on him.

 _P.S.118_

 _Hallway_

Wall down the hall together, Arnold turned towards his best friend and asked "So, are you going to Rhonda's Costume Party tonight?"

"Yeah man! My Pop Daddy outfit I ordered for it arrived in the mail yesterday!" Gerald exclaimed.

"That's cool." Arnold replied in an unenthusiastic tone.

Gerald looked at his friend and asked "What's up with you man?"

"I was just wondering if Helga would have a costume tonight. You know she didn't get to take a whole lot with her when her family had to move out."

"So take her shopping."

Arnold thought about this a moment. Would Helga approve of the idea, or was she still too defensive to allow him to do something like that for her?

Classroom

Helga was sitting in her desk with her head propped in her hand, doodling in her notebook. She knew she would be going to the party dressed as she was that night (if she even decided to go).

"I must say, I'm looking forward to seeing the outfit Arnold has picked out for you."

Helga looked up to cock her brow at the snooty girl who said these words. "Excuse me?"

"Didn't you hear? Arnold's planning on taking you shopping for the party tonight." Rhonda grinned, having heard the boys' conversation in the hallway.

Helga's eyes widened at the thought of this. They were already being mocked just for seeing a movie together. What would shopping for clothes together add to everyone's thoughts of them?

After seeing the nervous look she managed to bring to her classmate's face, Rhonda went to take her seat.

Helga began to tremble at the thought of how this could turn out, while she listened to Phoebe say "That was certainly kind of Arnold."

"Pheebs, are you insane?!"

"What do you mean Helga?" the sweet girl asked.

"In case you haven't noticed, no one here has bothered to cut me some slack about my feelings ever since Princess open her big mouth about the movies." Helga did her best to say quietly.

"As I said Helga, your dream of being with Arnold will never come true if you aren't willing to put aside your worries of what other people think of you."

Helga smacked her face with her hand, wondering if hanging onto her fantasies while avoiding this public humiliation would be better than coming out of the closet and putting up with everyone else's opinions.

The rest of the class began to enter the room. Arnold took a seat in front of Helga, wondering when the best time would be to ask her to go shopping. He knew she wouldn't open up to the idea in front of all their friends.

His mind was so distracted, he didn't bother to think to say hello to the pigtailed girl sitting behind him. Helga found this a bit hurtful, but wasn't about to let anyone know that she cared.

She stared at her beloved in front of her with hurtful eyes, wondering if her perturbed nature was causing him to give up. Making him believe it really was just the heat of the moment. She may be able to tolerate him now, but that didn't mean she loved him.

Mr. Simmons at last walked in with the same huge smile on his face he was always prepared to greet the students with. "Hello class! Today's going to be another special day!"

The students all acknowledged him with dull looks, not surprised by his greeting.

"Class, today we're going to continue our lesson on fractions. Isn't that exciting?!"

"Oh I hate those stupid things!" Harold pouted, leaning back in his desk.

While Mr. Simmons was writing the problems on the board, Arnold thought Helga might agree to go shopping if he passed a not back to her. He wouldn't have to worry about embarrassing her with the news in front of everyone, if no one heard about it.

While he was pulling out a sheet of paper, Helga was watching her beloved become busy with something. Her hurtful eyes turned to dreamy ones. Anything he did or said made her fantasize about one day, being with him. If only she could help make it happen.

After pulling a sheet of paper out of his bag, Arnold's arm knocked his pencil off his desk. He turned around to pick it up when he saw Helga staring at him. Rather than angrily grunting at him, as she normally did to keep up appearances, she continued to stare at him with lovesick eyes.

Arnold quickly turned to face forward in his desk after snatching his pencil. At first he wondered if his friend was sick, or just in deep thought about something. Then he remembered his grandpa telling him something he would notice is always staring at someone you have feelings for.

Arnold stopped to think about the times he had noticed Helga carrying that dreamy look (or just staring at him in general).

When Mr. Simmons was discussing the play Romeo and Juliet, he turned in his desk to see the blonde girl staring at him with lovesick eyes.

When he was being dumped by Lila, he say Helga was lurking behind him with a sad excuse that she was just there to climb trees.

The only question was, had _he_ ever not been able to take his eyes off her?

The boy began to write his note, hoping Helga wouldn't be too nervous. Technically it wasn't a date. Much like the movies, they were still just two friends hanging out. They did things together every day, be it baseball or going out to eat. Why should this be any different?

Helga sat in her desk, wondering what he was working on until she noticed him carefully passing something back to her.

Her eyes lit with fear, hoping she could snatch it without being noticed. Luckily the class was falling asleep from the boring math lesson.

The nervous girl opened the note to read…

 _If you haven't found one yet, can I take you shopping for a costume after school?_

Helga held the note close to her heart as she leaned back in her chair. Doing all she could not to swoon at the idea of him wanting to do something so nice for her was unfathomably hard. After a moment of enjoying the idea of her beloved reaching out to her, she shook her head and once again thought about what would happen if someone noticed them.

Arnold sat in his desk, patiently awaiting a response. Hours went by and he hadn't heard a thing. When the bell for lunch came, the disappointed boy decided to just head for the cafeteria.

Helga sat in her desk, feeling guilty for not having said anything yet, until she heard "If I may ask, what was Arnold confronting you about Helga?"

 _Cafeteria_

Arnold stood in the lunch line with his friend Gerald, wondering if he should have bothered to say anything.

"Cheer up man. You know how that girl is."

"I guess so. I just don't understand what everyone thinks the big deal is."

Gerald glared, shocked at the question and replied "No offense man, but Pataki hasn't exactly gone easy on people herself the past few years."

 _Table_

"It's a sweet gesture he's wishing to perform Helga. Now would be an exceptional time to practice your sensitive side with him." Phoebe insisted, after hearing about Helga's note in class.

"How the heck am I supposed to do it without being mocked and ridiculed? Criminy! The school's using this as the perfect way to seek revenge on me for my bad attitude over the years." Helga scowled.

Phoebe gave a troubled look, knowing how tough it was to reach her friend in any type of situation that could put her reputation on the line. Strange as it may seem, she knew Helga's reputation was the last thing she was proud of.

 _Classroom_

The students made it back to class, and Helga was still feeling guilty about her inability to confront her beloved.

She sat in her desk, waiting for the day to end, until she noticed Phoebe hadn't made it back yet. The blonde girl cocked her brow, as she looked around the room and thought to herself…

 _Where the heck is Pheebs?_

 _Hallway_

"If it's not too much trouble Arnold, perhaps you could meet her at the store. Unfortunately, the class' inappropriate remarks pertaining to her feelings have made it to where she's still uncomfortable implying she may have any." Phoebe explained to Arnold.

A smile smile formed on his face. It was nice to know Helga wasn't intentionally avoiding him. Based on everything the class had done recently (mainly Rhonda), her reaction seemed understandable.

"Sure. If you want to tell her to meet me there after school, that would be great."

 _Classroom_

Helga watched the remainder of the students enter the room, and her best friend take a seat beside her. Phoebe noticed the curious look on her friend's face and said "Forgive my lateness Helga. I was merely discussing something with Arnold."

Although the intelligent girl knew that wasn't the best thing to admit, lying just wasn't her thing. The day she lied about the poem she copied out of a book for an assignment, the guilt haunted her for days.

Helga wanted to snap at her friend, but causing another scene about Arnold would just give the class yet another reason to mock her.

Mr. Simmons finally entered the room, just as excited as he had been that morning. "Class, we're going to get started on our Nutrition lecture."

"Oh, that sounds lovely!" Sheena exclaimed, while everyone else was ready for the day to be over. This class was more like nap time to them.

Three hours later, they got their wish. Helga watched Arnold rise from his seat, without bothering to confront her before he left.

She made it clear she didn't want to be made fun of, so he wasn't going to force her to do anything she didn't want to.

Phoebe watched the blank stare on her friend's face, as she continued to sit in her desk. "Are you going to pick out your costume Helga?"

Helga quickly whipped her head to look at her friend, after noticing she had drifted off. "Huh? Oh yeah."

 _The Mall_

Arnold waited in front of the costume shop, hoping his friend would show up. He stood outside the store, thinking about the last time the two of them attended one of Rhonda's costume parties. Arnold spent all night with Helga, enjoying the pleasant attitude she was willing to withhold in front of everyone.

The moment she took off her outfit however, the idea of hanging out with her didn't seem so fun. Was he really only doing it because she reminded him of Lila, or was he serious when he said…

 _Sometimes Helga can be pretty mean, but then other times like tonight, she can be pretty okay. And when she is, well, I actually sort of like her._

While he was contemplating this, someone was approaching him. Helga was nearing the store from the other end of the mall. There she saw her beloved, waiting patiently outside for her.

The nervous girl crept around the corner of another store, pulling out her locket to think about what she was about to experience with this sweet boy.

 _Oh Arnold! Here I am with yet another chance to prove how deep my feelings for you are. The way your kind and caring nature is always able to oversee the harsh brutalities of my behavior. I shall make it my solemn vow to get along with you tonight._

After taking a deep breath, Helga placed her locket back inside her shirt, and began to approach the store.

Arnold finally noticed his friend stepping towards him. A smile came to his face when he saw even if the idea of the being around each other still made her insecure, she was willing to overlook it.

"H-hey Arnold." Helga waved nervously.

"Hey Helga. Ready to pick out your costume?"

"Sure…" she stuttered, rubbing her arm.

What was she going to wear? She wanted something to keep Arnold's attention, but nothing that would make it obvious to the rest of their friends (or even him).

The two went inside to see what they could find. The two pre-teens searched through the costumes anywhere from animals to superheros.

"Criminy! Who in the right mind would wear these past the age of five?" Helga scowled, feeling the search was useless.

"Don't worry, we'll find you something."

Not believing him, she placed her hands on her hips and sneered "Pttss...oh yeah? What exactly are _you_ wearing?"

 _Flashback_

 _Arnold's Room_

"Hey there shortman! Ready for another exciting bedtime story!" Phil asked his grandson.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Phil looked at his grandson sitting under the covers with his knees pulled up to his chest. "Hey, what's eatin' ya?"

"Nothing I guess. I just wish I knew what happened to my dad's journal."

Phil patted his grandson on the back, as he took a seat on the bed. "I'm sorry shortman. Hey, I got it! Why don't you make your own with all the great stories _I've_ been telling you about them!"

"Umm maybe."

After listening to another story about the two amazing people Arnold dreamed of one day finding, an idea formed inside his head…

 _Maybe I could dress as an anthropologist._

 _End of Flashback_

 _Mall_

A guilty look formed on Helga's face, as she patted her friend on the back and said "Sorry about the journal Arnold."

"It's okay. Let's just worry about your costume."

 _Rhonda's House_

Rhonda wasted no time getting home to set up for the party after school ended. She brought Nadine along with her to help out. Rather than setting out snacks and drinks, Nadine sat on the couch with the book she hadn't been able to keep her eyes off of for the past month.

"Nadine, what are you doing?" the modish girl asked.

"Just reading before the party starts." the nature loving girl admitted.

Rhonda rolled her eyes with her hands on her hips at her friend's choice of how to spend the evening preparing for the party. "Seriously Nadine, everyone's going to be here soon! They're not coming to have you read them a story."

 _The Mall_

Helga sat flipping through the costumes with a dull look on her face. It had reached the point where she wasn't even looking for one anymore. She felt she was just continuing to move the costumes on the rack one by one, as if it had just become a reflex.

Moments later, she heard Arnold ask "Hey, what about this?"

Helga turned, not expecting to be amused by what she saw. Her eyes lit with surprise when she saw her beloved holding a Juliet costume.

"Pttss...are you kidding?" she scoffed, not wanting him to get wise to why she entered the play.

"What? You were in the play weren't you?"

"What's your point?" the defensive girl snapped, with her arms crossed.

"Didn't you like the part you played? I don't think anyone would make fun of you if they already saw you dressed as her once."

Helga let out a heavy breath, glancing towards the floor. A depressed look appeared on her face, as though she felt defeated. If she was ever going to get close to Arnold, she would have to overcome her insecurities of what the class thought of her at some point.

 _A Few Hours Later_

 _The Beeper Emporium_

"Miriam! How the heck am I supposed to attract more customers with you past out in front of the beepers like that?!" Bob scowled, as he began tidying up the store. It hadn't been easy bringing in sales, now that evidence of their personal life was scattered all over the place.

While the businessman was busy doing what he could to make the store look nice, he heard Olga scream "Oh baby sister! You look amazing!"

Bob turned to see Helga walking down the stairs in her new Juliet costume. With her hair braided back, in her red and lavender gown, Bob cocked his brow and asked "What are you supposed to be?"

Helga ignored the insult, while Olga jumped in to say "She's Juliet daddy!"

"Julie-who-now?"

"Juliet. You know, from that play you and Miriam shockingly decided to attend." Helga said wittily.

"Oh right right." Bob said, thinking back to the night. It had been one of the few he and Miriam actually got along with each other. It being one of _very_ few, made it quite easy to suppress the memory.

The family then heard a knock at the door. Helga turned to see her beloved waiting patiently outside the store for her. As she was making her way towards the door, Olga grabbed her for a tight squeeze and said "Have fun baby sister!"

Helga pushed her older sibling aside and scowled "Alright! Get off me. Sheesh."

The nervous girl wondered for a moment if she was only pushing her sister aside because she was annoyed, or because she was actually worried about looking nice for Arnold. Helga had never been one to care about her appearance. Now Arnold was actually making an attempt to spend time with her. She could make some sort of effort to show her appreciation.

Once the door was open, Arnold watched his friend step outside. Seeing her all dressed up reminded him of the time he saw her dressed in the outfit her nanny had made her dress in for school...

 _Wow Helga. You've got flowers in your hair?_

 _Yeah? You wanna make something of it?_

 _No. I was just thinking you looked kind of nice._

After staring at her a moment, Arnold managed to bring himself to say "Wow! You look great!"

Helga did her best not to blush at the compliment, which was just as hard as not tossing out a defensive remark. "Uhh thanks. You don't look half bad yourself."

Eyeing her friend in his Khaki shorts, boots, and safari hat, Helga's heart began to ache at the thought of the connection her beloved was trying to make with his parents. If only she knew what happened to the journal.

 _Rhonda's House_

Dressed in her go-go dancer costume, Rhonda stood by the front door, letting in guest after guest.

Arnold and Helga arrived, hoping Rhonda wouldn't try to start anything. Thankfully, they were able to make it inside without any rude remarks being made about them.

The two then went to search for their best friends. Helga found Phoebe by the punch bowl, dressed as a hippy. "Nice costume Pheebs."

"Thank you Helga. You look lovely." the small girl assured her friend, as she viewed the formal dress Helga had chosen for the party.

"Thanks Pheebs."

While the girls were chatting, Arnold walked onto the back porch to find Gerald dressed as Pop Daddy. "Hey Gerald."

"Hey Arnold. You get your girl her costume?" Gerald asked, not thinking about the way he had phrased that…

 _Your girl_

Arnold began to feel a little nervous, wondering how many people were thinking of her that way. Yes they had been taunting her about it, but would continuing to phrase it like that in front of people actually make it seem true to everyone?

"Umm yeah. We found her a Juliet costume."

Gerald lifted an eyebrow at his friend and said "In other words, there was no need to take her shopping to begin with."

Arnold rolled his eyes at the remark, and sighed "I guess not."

 _Rhonda's Room_

While the group was enjoying themselves, Nadine was still enjoying her book. Why she bothered to dress up as an insect was beyond her when she had a book of information on them to entertain her.

 _Living Room_

"I reckon my Pa won't be too happy with me, on account of I just spilled punch all over my nightshirt."

"Why are you even wearing that horrendous thing?" Rhonda asked, after getting a good look at Stinky's outfit.

"I told him his nightshirt looked like a cape, and that he should come to the party dressed as a vampire." Sid explained, who was dressed as a cowboy.

 _The Back Porch_

"I'm going to go get some more punch man." Gerald said to Arnold.

The blonde boy continued to stay on the porch, looking over the side into the backyard. He heard someone approaching from behind, when he turned around to say "That was qui...oh hey Helga."

"Hey Arnold. You having fun?" she asked, hoping to spend some time with him.

"Yeah, I am. Gerald and I have just been talking. You want to do something?"

"Like what?" Helga shrugged her shoulders, not thinking there was much to do besides talk.

Arnold looked around, not knowing exactly what to say. He then spotted a familiar game. "We could play pin the tail on the monkey?"

Helga's mind flashed back to the night she tried to be Ms Perfect. She was about to play the game with Arnold, until she realized he was only doing it because she reminded him of Lila.

"Uhh okay."

Moments later, Arnold was tying the blindfold around his friend, ready to spin her around. Helga felt him spinning her, as she thought to herself…

 _My beloved is actually spending the night with me...as me! Oh my darling I..._ WHOA!

Arnold laughed at his dizzy friend, the moment he let go of her. Helga then tried to focus her mind on where she was placing the tail.

Just inside the house, Gerald and Phoebe were watching their best friends play the game with each other. Gerald watched the smile on his best friend's face, as he continued to stare at the blindfolded girl.

"Mm, mm, mmm. He's a sick boy."

Helga at last placed the tail on the board. She took off her blindfold to see the tail placed on the Monkey's nose.

"That was close enough." Arnold smiled.

Helga cocked her brow at his attempt to comfort her and scoffed "Pttss yeah. And you wearing that safari hat on your butt would be considered close enough."

 _A Few Hours Later_

"Hey can I take the rest of these chips home?" Harold asked, carrying the bowl towards the door.

"That's my mother's antique bowl. I don't think so!" Rhonda sneered, snatching the snack back from her friend.

"Aww gee!" Harold sulked on his way out the door.

Rhonda waved goodbye to who she thought was everyone.

 _The Beeper Emporium_

Arnold was walking Helga back to the emporium, pleased with how the night had gone. No one made fun of them, and Helga found a suitable costume for herself. Perhaps too suitable, as Arnold really was having a difficult time keeping his eyes off her.

"I had a lot of fun tonight." he said to the nicely dressed girl.

Helga began to rub her neck as she said "Yeah, I had a good time too. Next time don't spin me around so hard."

Thinking back to the game, Arnold was reminded of something. Before he let his friend go inside, he had to ask "Hey Helga, there's something I've been wondering."

"What is it?" she asked, cocking her brow.

"Do you remember when you called everyone to your house in fourth grade? Phoebe came into your room and started talking about Monkeynucleosis when you were about to tell me something important. What was it?"

Helga began to rub her arm profusely, not expecting that to be brought up ever again. She told him he was okay that day, assuming that was a reasonable enough excuse.

"I wanted to tell you you were okay? I mean come on, I thought I was about to expire. I couldn't die knowing you actually thought I hated you. Sheesh!"

"Are you sure there wasn't anything else?" Arnold asked. Although he didn't want to pressure her, it was clear Helga was no open book. If he really wanted an answer about something, it would take some doing.

"Well I…"

"Yeah?"

"I was just going to apologize for everything. I mean even if I think you're okay, that doesn't excuse all the bad things I've done to you."

While Helga started off using this line as an excuse to escape the pressured moment, she realized how true it was. Every time she did something bad to Arnold, she felt terrible. There were few times however, she actually apologized to his face for it.

She looked into his concerned eyes, feeling he may have actually believed that. Whether or not he did, she was happy to have admitted it to him. "So anyway, I'm sorry Arnold."

The blonde boy placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and said "Thanks Helga. I had fun tonight."

 _Rhonda's House_

Rhonda was cleaning up the house just in time to see Nadine leaving the bedroom. "Nadine? What are you still doing here?"

"Is the party over already?" the nature girl asked surprised.

"What do you mean already? It's nearly midnight." Rhonda said with her hands on her hips.

Nadine rushed out, feeling guilty for having stayed in her friend's room all night.

Rhonda shook her head at how easily distracted her friend had become with that book. After watching her leave, the stylish girl headed for her room.

There she saw Nadine had left the journal sitting on her bed. A good friend would return a missing item. Rhonda was sick of Nadine giving all her attention to the book however. She was in no rush to return it.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8: Would You Like To Join Me?

Thanksgiving was approaching and everyone was preparing for a fun evening with their families. Well almost everyone…

Gerald was walking down Vine Street, on his way to The Corner Store, when he saw Arnold sitting on the steps of the boarding house.

"Hey Arnold. What's up man?" the tranquil boy asked.

Arnold lifted his moping head, with his arms rested on his knees and said "I was just thinking about a dream I had a few weeks ago."

Gerald took a seat beside his best friend and asked "About what?"

" _Mom! Dad! You're home!"_

" _Hey son! It's great to see you!"_

" _Arnold! Sweetie! We're so happy to be home."_

" _Did your grandparents take good care of you son?"_

" _Yeah, they were great!"_

" _That's go...RING RING. Hold on son, I have to answer this…."_

" _Son I'm sorry, but Eduardo needs us for another trip."_

" _But you just got back!"_

" _I know sweetie. We're sorry!"_

" _Don't go...please don't go…."_

"I'm sorry man. Try to remember they could still come back one day." Gerald said, hoping to bring a smile to his friend's face.

"Yeah, maybe." Although Arnold was the optimistic type, hope in this situation seemed pointless.

 _The Beeper Emporium_

"Let's go get something to eat Miriam. I didn't spend the past few months rearranging this place just to cook on Thanksgiving." Bob felt the need to point out.

"I'm so sorry daddy! I wish I could cook something for everyone! Ooohh! I know! A college friend of mine manages The Steakhouse. I'm sure we could all eat there for free."

Bob cocked his brow in disbelief as he replied "You mean to tell me I could have been getting free double racks of lamb all these years? Mother May I!"

 _Phoebe's House_

"I hope you informed your parents of where you would be this time Helga?" Phoebe asked, remembering the scare that was brought to the Pataki's the last time Helga left the house without notice.

Helga sat with a wrestling magazine on her friend's bed, knowing her family had already planned to go out. "Pttss...don't worry Pheebs. This year they don't have a home to worry about not seeing me at."

"So you didn't want to join them at the restaurant?"

Helga tossed aside her magazine and sat up straight on the bed. "Why? Just so I can watch Bob have another gas attack?"

 _Rhonda's House_

While dinner was being prepared, Rhonda was looking for the best outfit to wear that night. It may have just been her family eating, but that was no reason she couldn't show off her wardrobe.

As she was going through the closet, her phone began to ring. The stylish girl went to see what was so important, her clothes sorting had to be interrupted.

"Hello?"

"Hi Rhonda."

"What is it Nadine?"

"Are you sure that book I was reading at the party didn't get left at your place? That's the last time I remember seeing it."

Rhonda wanted to hang up on her friend just for mentioning the book. Nadine's habit was annoying enough as it was. Rhonda didn't need her finding anymore ways to include (what she considered to be) that disgusting habit of hers in their activities.

"I told you, I have not seen it Nadine."

The snobbish girl hung up on her friend, going back to focusing on her outfit for dinner with her family.

 _Harold's House_

"Here we are, eating dinner together like a happy family." Marilyn smiled, pointing out how wonderful it was to have the family together on that special day.

"Yes, just like a family." Jerry acknowledged his wife.

"Can I have some more turkey?" Harold asked, reaching for the center plate.

"Of course you can sweetie!" the caring lady pushed the plate towards her son, until she heard…

"Well, he could stand to cut back on his helpings."

"JERRY!" Marilyn shouted, as if the insult had been directed towards her.

The calm man shrugged his shoulders at his wife's reaction and asked "What? A few helpings? What's wrong with that?"

"Don't listen to him Harold! You take as much as you want." the clingy parent said, pinching her son's cheeks.

"Awww mom! Cut it out would ya?"

 _The Corner Store_

Gerald walked inside to grab a few things when he saw Sid and Stinky on the cereal aisle. "Hey guys. What's up?"

"Hey Gerald. Me and Sid were just buying some Sugar Chunk Cereal!" Stinky said excitedly.

Gerald lifted an eyebrow and asked "For Thanksgiving?"

"Yep. I told my pa I'd cook dessert."

"Uh huh?" Gerald glared, yet not surprised by the sad reason.

"What are you doing here Gerald?" Sid asked, before his friend walked away.

"My dad sent me to the store to get a few things he needs to finish dinner with, since my mom's shift isn't over yet."

 _The Steakhouse_

"I'm gonna have to put another notch in my lucky belt Olga!" Bob said, after finishing his second helping of lamb. A smile stretched across his face as he leaned back in the restaurant chair with his hands resting on his full stomach.

"Isn't Mark sweet daddy? We took English together." Olga explained, pointing to the manager standing beside her seat.

"English huh?" Bob asked, not sounding too amused.

"Yes. He was the best poet in the class. Aside from me that is. Right mommy?"

"Huh? Oh umm...whatever…" Miriam waved her daughter off, ready to pass out at the table.

 _The Boarding House_

"Happy Independence Day everybody!" Pookie yelled in her Ben Franklin costume, waving an American flag around the room.

"Hey gramps. Can't you control that wife of yours?" Ernie whined as he pointed to Pookie who was circling the table.

"Yes. She is very creepy!" Mr. Hyunh agreed.

"Let me help you cook grandma." Oscar insisted, as he began to stand from his chair.

Ernie lifted an eyebrow in disbelief and shouted "What can you do ya bum?"

"I can be the taste tester hehe." Oscar laughed, hoping to get away with it.

"Shut up ya weasel!" Ernie yelled, leaning over the table with an angry face.

Arnold sighed as he sat in his chair, knowing it would be another holiday spent without his parents.

"Pookie, enough with the charade!" Phil snapped at his wife, who didn't seem affected by the order.

After rolling his eyes at his eccentric wife, Phil looked at his upset grandson and asked "Hey, what's eatin' ya shortman?"

"Nothing I guess. I just had another dream about my parents a few weeks ago. Now Thanksgiving's here, and it's just…"

"I know Arnold. I miss them too. Heck if they were here, they'd be the ones cooking and we wouldn't have to put up with this cheap independence imitation act every year." Phil agreed, patting his grandson's back.

 _Phoebe's House_

"Today we are thankful for the many great blessings in our lives." Kyo began, while serving food to his family and Helga.

"We're happy you could join us Helga." Reba added.

"Yeah, thanks for having me." she sighed, wondering how much worse things could get. Would Bob ever come to his senses and sell or restart the business?

"Bottoms up!" Reba exclaimed, toasting the happy holiday.

Phoebe looked at her quiet friend and said "I assure you Helga, you will always have friends who are there for you, regardless of your situation."

 _Rhonda's House_

"Finally! Everything's ready and I've chosen an outfit I believe is more than suitable for the occasion." Rhonda insisted, as she entered the dining room wearing a red silk sleeveless dress, and black heels.

"You look fabulous darling!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Thank you mommy. Where's daddy?"

Rhonda then looked to see her father entering the room. "He's on his way sweet pea."

"Who is?" Rhonda asked in a perplexed tone.

"Your little friend Harold."

"Harold! What on earth is he coming for?" Rhonda stood from her seat, not having heard anything about this.

"Mrs. Berham has considered you two close friends ever since your first night at the cheese festival darling." Brooke reminded her.

"This is absurd! He is not eating with us!"

"Oh calm down Princess. He's just coming to pick up some sugar for a pie his mother is making." Buckley explained.

Rhonda sat back in her chair with her arms folded. She didn't like the idea of anyone (not even her parents) knowing she possessed feelings for anyone who was considered to be of such low class.

KNOCK KNOCK

"That must be him. Here you go Princess." Buckley said, handing his daughter the bag of sugar.

On Rhonda's way to the door, she noticed out the window, someone else walking towards her house…

 _Oh no Nadine! She probably wants that ridiculous book!_

Before answering the door, the modish girl turned and said "One moment daddy. I forgot I have something else to give to Harold."

 _Front Porch_

Harold stood on the porch with his hands in his pockets, waiting for someone to answer. Thinking about the pie his mom would soon be baking was making his stomach rumble.

"Oh man I'm hungry. Come on let's go!" KNOCK KNOCK!

Rhonda then anxiously opened the door and said "Here Harold! Tell Nadine I'm busy."

"What?" the husky boy asked, not knowing what she was talking about.

The confused boy then turned to see he was face to face with another classmate.

"Hey Harold. What are you doing here?" Nadine asked.

"I was just getting some sugar. And uhh Rhonda said to tell you she's busy...for some reason."

Nadine stood perplexed, while Harold instantly walked away. The nature loving girl wondered if it would be too much trouble to simply knock on the door, since she was already there? Then again, Rhonda must have already seen her to have known to tell Harold there was no time to talk.

After deciding it may be inconsiderate to interrupt her friend's holiday meal with her family, Nadine headed back towards her house.

 _Harold's House_

"Here's the sugar mom." Harold said, handing the bag to him mom.

"Thank you Harold! I spoke with her parents, and I must say, that Rhonda is a very special young lady."

Embarrassed by the situation, Harold started making his way towards his room, until he noticed he was still carrying something. "Hey, what's this?"

 _Gerald's House_

"Gerald, did you stir the potatoes? Your mother's going to be home any minute. Also, whoever left the light on in the living room needs to turn it off. I don't see anyone sitting in there." Martin ordered.

Gerald stood by the stove, stirring the potatoes until he felt a few peas hit his cheek.

"Hey! What the…"

"Haha bulls-eye!" Jamie O laughed, after shooting a spoonful of peas at his younger brother.

"Cut it out man!"

"What are you gonna do about it squirt?!" Jamie O asked, knowing his parents always took his side.

"Dad! Did you see what…"

"That's enough you two! We didn't buy that food just to see it get thrown on the floor!" Martin snapped, with his hands on his waist.

 _Boarding House_

After everyone had eaten hot dogs and burgers (what Pookie considered to be a traditional Thanksgiving meal), the boarders went to the roof to celebrate.

Phil watched his grandson eyeing the fireworks that his lunatic wife was continuing to shoot off. "You okay Arnold?"

"Yeah. It might be a weird way to spend Thanksgiving, but I do always enjoy the fireworks. I just wish mom and dad were here to see them."

"Me too shortman. Me too."

 _The Beeper Emporium_

"Dinner was great Olga!" Bob said, as he began to take off his belt.

"Thanks daddy!" Olga exclaimed, taking credit for the idea.

The family then wasted no time taking a seat on what little furniture was in the store, and began to rest.

 _Harold's Room_

"What _is_ this stupid thing?" the baffled boy asked, after realizing he had brought home an extra item.

Harold began flipping through the pages of the old journal, unsure of what it could be. He wasn't fond of reading. Therefore, he wasn't willing to put in the effort to dig for clues on who it could belong to.

 _Gerald's House_

Mrs. Johannson was home at last, and Martin had managed to keep the kitchen chaos toned down.

"Thanks for cooking sweetie!"

"No problem dear. Alright everyone, let's get started." Martin insisted.

Gerald was beginning to sit, when Jamie O pulled the chair out from behind him. "OW!"

"Haha!" the older boy laughed at his brother's pain.

"Jamie O!"

"Now that's enough pranks you two! This is Thanksgiving not Halloween!" Martin pointed a finger at the kids.

Gerald got settled in his chair. Propping his head in his hand, picking at his plate, not feeling it was any different from any other family dinner during the year.

 _I wonder how Arnold's doing?_

 _Phoebe's House_

"It was lovely having you with us tonight Helga." Phoebe said, walking her friend to the front door.

"Thanks Pheebs. Guess I'll see you tomorrow."

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold was still sitting on the roof enjoying the fireworks with the rest of the boarders when he noticed something.

The blonde boy stood up to peek over the edge of the roof where he saw his friend passing by the boarding house.

Arnold quickly raced down the fire escape steps to catch up.

Meanwhile, Helga was walking down the sidewalk, staring at her locket…

 _Oh Arnold. Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. And still, if I have anything at all to be thankful for in this forsaken world, it's you. Oh I..._ ARNOLD!

The startled girl jumped after feeling a tap on her back.

"Hey Helga."

"Stop creeping up on me!" she scowled, quickly placing her locket back inside her shirt.

"Sorry. I just thought you might want to come watch the fireworks with us."

Helga placed her hands on her hips and scoffed "Pttss...your grandma still into that whole fourth of July thing."

Arnold began to blush as he rubbed his neck and replied "Uhh kind of."

"Oh brother. What the heck. If it'll make you feel better." Helga attempted to say in a defeated tone.

The blonde boy smiled at her sad attempt to appear uninterested "Thanks Helga."

"Yeah, yeah, but don't say I never did you any favors Arnoldo!" the pigtailed girl pointed a finger, following him up the fire escape.

"Whatever you say Helga."

Arnold welcomed his friend up on the roof with the rest of the boarders for the remainder of their show. Neither of them may have had a traditional Thanksgiving, but the way the day ended for the two of them together made up for it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the late update. The past few days have been kind of hectic. The terrible internet service at my house isn't exactly a plus either. Hope you like the chapter :)**

Chapter 9: What's On Your Mind?

 _Mall_

It was Christmas Eve, and Arnold and Gerald were spending the day doing some last minute shopping for their families.

"Who'd you get for Secret Santa this year?" Gerald asked his best friend.

Arnold rubbed the back of his neck as he began to explain "We're not doing that anymore. Susie was upset when Mr. Kakoshka kept getting bags of coal."

Gerald gave a dull look after hearing the information and said "Sounds right to me."

"I guess. Do you know what you want for Christmas?" Arnold asked, hoping to finish his shopping soon.

"Check it out man!" the laid back boy said, holding up a magazine clipping to his friend's face.

Arnold viewed the picture to see an add for the latest soundtrack of Pop Daddy. "That's cool Gerald."

"Yeah. So what about you? I hope you don't plan on me following you around town to find another pair of dumb snow boots."

After smiling at the memory of searching town for that one item, Arnold sighed "I wish I could find my dad's journal."

"I'm sorry man. It'll show up." Gerald said, patting his friend on the back.

Lurking from behind a nearby store, a pigtailed girl couldn't help but overhear the conversation that was going on. If only she could find the journal, it would be the perfect Christmas gift to give to her beloved.

Helga leaned against the wall of the last store, hiding from the rest of the shoppers. As she pulled her beloved's picture out of her shirt, she gazed at his sweet face and said…

 _Arnold my love! Again I have the chance to please you. Here I possess the knowledge to make your happiness complete. If only I could find where this meaningful possession lies. This sacred item which you hold dear to your heart. Oh my beloved I…_

A frown formed on Helga's face, as she began to hear heavy breathing from beside her. The mall stopped to stare at the boy who fell unconscious onto the hard floor, and the girl who began marching down the hall past him.

 _Store_

Arnold was standing in the check out line to purchase a new fly swatter for Pookie. Gerald stood beside his friend who he noticed hadn't said much recently and asked "So, what's this about Pataki being on your mind?"

 _Flashback_

 _Arnold's Roof_

"Can I interest you in some apple pie, lady Eleanor?" Pookie asked, eyeing the sweet girl sitting beside her grandson.

Arnold watched Helga cock her brow at the name being given to her and said, "Her name is Helga grandma."

"Oh nonsense. Just because she's off duty doesn't mean we should show her any disrespect." the high spirited lady insisted, handing each pre-teen a piece of pie.

Arnold blushed as he watched the puzzled look remain on Helga's face and said "Uhh sorry Helga. My grandma's kind of…."

"Crazy! There, I said it so she doesn't have to." Phil butted in from behind.

"Eh don't sweat it. Still beats hanging out with Olga." Helga willingly admitted, as she began to take a bite of her pie.

The boarders watched Pookie start to shoot off the remainder of the fireworks.

"Oh they are so beautiful!" Mr. Hyunh exclaimed.

"Oh isn't it romantic Oscar?" Susie asked, while gazing up at the bright sky.

"Eh, I just want some more pie." The greedy boarder said, waving his wife off.

"You already had some ya bum!" Ernie snapped, not allowing him near the table that had been set up on the roof.

While listening to his _family_ bicker, Arnold noticed Helga keeping her full attention on the fireworks.

As he watched her stare into the night sky, he was reminded of another thing Phil said he would notice himself experiencing when a girl had his attention.

 _You feel like you're floating_

Arnold thought back to their last Thanksgiving. Watching her through the window, being welcomed by her family, was a sweet sight. It was touching to see someone who came off as neglected, being treated so well.

Seeing her in that position was almost...relieving. While Arnold longed for an enjoyable Thanksgiving (just because he wanted one), it was heartwarming seeing it happen for Helga, because it was something she needed.

"That was some show!" Helga said, turning to look at the boy with the goofy smile.

Arnold lifted his head from his hand that was propped on his knee. He began to shake it after realizing Helga had become his show. "Huh? Oh yeah, it was cool."

"Well, thanks for having me bucko." Helga said, punching her friend on the shoulder.

 _End Of Flashback_

"Every since that night, I've just gotten a weird feeling in my stomach whenever I think about her. It's not one I want to go away though."

"Whatever you say Arnold." Gerald said, glaring at his friend.

 _The Arcade_

"Since when do you read Harold?" Sid asked his husky friend, who was giving his full attention to the journal.

"Yeah. I don't reckon I recall seeing you spend too much time with books." Stinky agreed.

While the two of them were playing a game of air hockey, Harold was trying to figure out what the extra item Rhonda sent him home with was.

"It's just some dumb book Rhonda gave me…" the frustrated boy began to explain, before being interrupted.

"Rhonda gave Harold a book. Maybe it's a wedding planner." Sid teased, knowing about Rhonda's private feelings for their friend.

"Haha. That really bites Harold." Stinky laughed, not paying attention to the angry look forming on his friend's face.

Harold clenched his fist at the comment and screamed "Stop laughing or I'll pound ya!"

The boys revealed stunned looks on their faces as they watched their friend march out of the arcade.

 _The Store_

"Nice idea getting your grandpa a board game. You think he'll be able to keep his eyes on it?"

"We'll see. I'm going to go home and wrap everything. I'll see you later Gerald!" Arnold anxiously waved goodbye to his friend, as he headed for home.

"Later man." the mild boy replied, while heading for his own home.

 _Walk_

Helga was walking down the cold, icy streets with her hands in her pockets. While she knew what she wanted to get Arnold for Christmas, she didn't have the slightest idea where to start.

Just thinking about him, no matter what state her mind was in, was enough to put her on cloud nine: A painful condition, when she was hit on the head with a golf ball. Her mind went straight to how wonderful it was to have him near her. A social event, when all eyes were on her. At Coach Wittenberg's wedding, catching the bouquet and the thought of one day marrying the love of her life, was enough to distract her from the group of people still remaining there. A stressful situation. After being put to peace with the laughing gas at her dental appointment, the first happy thought that entered her mind was having someone like Arnold in her life.

No matter the severity of the condition or type of situation, he was always on her mind.

 _The Boarding House_

Pookie entered the dining room, dressed as Mrs. Claus. With a plate of chocolate chip cookies to set down, she asked "Where's young Herbie? He and Rudolph should have made it home by now."

Phil took a cookie, ignoring his crazy wife's description of their grandson.

"Get your hands off my plate ya weasel!" Ernie snapped, when seeing a greedy boarder reach for his cookies.

"What? I was just pulling it closer, so it wouldn't fall off the table. Hehe." Oscar laughed to himself.

The boarders then heard the animals racing down the hall, as the door was being opened. "That you shortman?"Phil called out.

"Hey everyone." Arnold said, as he stood in the doorway with a few shopping bags.

"Whatcha got there shortman?"

"Energy drinks I hope! You and Santa will need plenty of it when you're riding Rudolph tonight!" Pookey exclaimed, as she headed towards the kitchen.

A frustrated look formed on Phil's face as he placed his chin in his hand and muttered "We need even more strength to put up with you."

"It's just a few presents. I'll be upstairs if you need me." Arnold said, before quickly racing up the stairs.

"Have fun shortman!"

 _Walk_

After angrily leaving the arcade, Harold began heading for home. The grumpy boy was once again paying his full attention to the strange book.

"What is this stupid thing talking about? Green eye...Green eye v...Green eye vill...oh you're confusing me!"

After shutting his eyes and holding the book at his side to pout, Harold continued to walk until…"OOF!"

"Ow! My head!" the slow boy whined.

"Hey, watch where you're going Pink boy!" Helga snapped, after shaking her head.

Harold continued to sit on the ground, eyeing his angry classmate standing before him. Before she could continue her threat, Helga noticed something in Harold's hand.

 _Arnold's Room_

After wrapping the presents, Arnold laid on his bed, thinking about how Thanksgiving had just seemed like it was yesterday. Not only that, how much he enjoyed himself compared to last year.

Thinking about having such a great time with Helga reminded him of another thing Phil had mentioned…

 _You're ALWAYS thinking about the one you love_

Had his mind been on Helga before, or was this a new thing? The blonde boy began reminiscing about times he not only thought about Helga, but was concerned about her.

When he and Gerald bailed on the play

When Big Patty threatened to beat her up

When he felt guilty for pouring paint on her in class

When he noticed the bus left without her on the way back from the field trip

Were his feelings for her that extreme, or was he just that caring of a person?

 _Walk_

"Gimme that book!" Helga snapped, as she reached for the journal.

"What for?" Harold insisted on knowing. Although he didn't enjoy reading, he wasn't too fond of being bossed around by Helga.

"Because...because everyone's talking about about what a geek you are now." Helga said excitedly.

"WHAT?!" the angry boy shouted, not knowing about this.

"Yeah. You were the last person anyone expected to be a bookworm. Oh well." Helga shrugged her shoulders, hoping to upset her classmate.

Harold slammed the journal into the anxious girl's chest. The force had no effect on her, as she raced down the street with it.

The anxious girl continued her race home with the book until she again bumped heads with someone. "Criminy!" Helga shouted, tired of the surprise encounters.

After vigorously shaking her head, the blonde girl opened her eyes to see Gerald sitting in front of her.

"What's the rush Pataki?"

"I was just uh…" she stuttered, trying to hide the book in her hand.

"Just practicing for a 5k?" Gerald said wittily, that made the anxious girl grunt.

"What do you know Geraldo?!" Helga scowled, while clenching her fists.

The laid back boy then noticed his classmate mistakenly uncovering the item in her hand. An astonished look formed on his face, as he asked "Where'd you get that?"

 _Phoebe's House_

The young Asian girl was spending her vacation getting a jump start on next semester's assignments. While she was quietly reading at her desk, she heard a knock at the door.

"Phoebe dear. Someone's here to see you."

"Okay mother."

The intelligent girl then turned to see a boy she was quite fond of entering the room.

"Why hello Gerald." she blushed.

"Hey babe. Pataki wanted me to give this to you."

Phoebe looked at the item in Gerald's hand and said "Oh my! Did she not wish to return it to him?"

 _Flashback_

 _Walk_

"Where'd you get that?" Gerald asked, knowing how concerned Arnold had been about the missing item.

"None of your beezewax Geraldo!" Helga sneered, as she was preparing to walk away.

Gerald crossed his arms and gave Helga a look implying he knew she had something to hide.

The anxious girl halted, feeling herself beginning to shake. How was she supposed to explain why she had it without admitting she wanted to give it to Arnold?

"Fine. If you _must_ know...Pink boy thought he could humor himself by using this as his winter reading assignment. I showed him he was wasting his time trying by taking it off his hands."

"Okay. How did Harold end up with it?" Gerald couldn't help but ask.

"How the heck should I know? I'm not _his_ stalker!"

Gerald's eyes widened at the emphasis Helga had put behind the pronoun. She instantly caught herself and gulped "I...I mean I'm not his or _anyone's_ stalker."

Gerald watched Helga fan herself, while thinking back to everything Arnold had told him about his night with her. They did run into her an awful lot.

After shaking his head at the nervous girl, he asked "So are you going to give it back to him?"

Helga almost found that to be an insult, as she scowled "Well doi!"

"Okay, he's at home now if you want to take it over there."

Helga stopped a moment to think about where this could lead. If she took it to Arnold, he'd want to know why she felt the need to bring it back. If she said to make him happy, it would open up the 'do you really love me?' door again.

Just as Gerald was about to leave, she exclaimed "Wait!"

 _End of Flashback_

 _Phoebe's House_

What appeared to be a disappointed look was showing on Phoebe's face after hearing the story. "Oh dear. Even with the little progress she's made, I'm afraid Helga still can't bring herself to meet the requirements of what it will take to make her dreams a reality."

"Even if we give it to him, my man's still going to want to know how we found it." Gerald pointed out.

"Although I regret to admit it would involve stretching the truth, perhaps you could return the missing item to his grandfather. Arnold's grandfather could then return it to him, along with a suitable story pertaining to how he came across it." Phoebe suggested.

 _The Beeper Emporium_

Helga made it back to the emporium to see her sister hanging a string of Christmas lights around a pyramid of beepers the family had built. "Oh, it's so beautiful daddy!"

"This should attract plenty of customers!" Bob said proudly.

Helga slowly dragged her feet inside, heading for the stairs until she heard "Hey! Where have you been little missy?"

"Why? Don't tell me we actually had some customers." Helga scoffed, as she turned to face her father.

"Hey! You watch your mouth missy. There will be plenty of customers once everyone gets a load of this new display your sister helped me build." Bob insisted, pointing to the light decorated beepers.

Not impressed by her family's effort, Helga headed for the small space she was sorry to have to call her room.

 _The Boarding House_

"Do you believe Mr. Shortman will be willing to follow through with the plan?" Phoebe asked the cute boy beside her.

"Yeah, Phil's a cool guy." Gerald assured her.

A few moments after knocking, Gerald motioned for Phoebe to stand out of the way of the animals. The door then opened, but no animals poured out. The only one standing there was Phil. "Hey kids."

"Hey Phil. Where'd all the pets go?" Gerald had to ask.

"I'd scram if I were you kids. Pookie's getting ready to test her new sleigh. She's got the animals tied up in the other room."

"If it's alright with you Mr. Shortman, we simply came by to drop this off." Phoebe explained, handing Phil his son's journal.

 _Arnold's Room_

 _Maybe I do have feelings for Helga. She's shown me she can be nice when she wants to be. I don't like seeing anyone hurt her. She…_

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Arnold sat up when he noticed someone entering his room.

"Hey shortman." Phil waved to his grandson.

"Hey grandpa." Arnold sighed, while propping himself up with his hands.

The elderly man walked over to the bed to hand his grandson his cherished item. Arnold's eyes lit with anticipation as he grabbed it and said "Grandpa! Where'd you find it!"

Phil chuckled to himself, as he took a seat beside his grandson and said "Let's just say it found it's way home."

Phil patted his ecstatic grandson's head and said to him "Night shortman."

Arnold changed into his pajamas, thinking about how that was the second Christmas what seemed like a miracle had happened for him. Were they really miracles, or was there an explanation?

 _The Next Day_

 _Rhonda's House_

"Oh these are amazing! They are just like the ones on the cover of Pre-Teen Miss!" Rhonda exclaimed, looking at the new earrings her parents had gotten her.

"Only the best for you pumpkin." Buckley said, while watching his happy daughter try on her new gift.

"Why don't you invite Nadine over darling? I'm sure she'd love to see all your new accessories." Brooke suggested.

Rhonda paused a moment, not knowing if that was the best idea. Every time she had spoken to Nadine since the party, Nadine wanted to know what could have happened to the journal. Now that the book was gone, there was no need to worry however.

"I suppose so."

 _Gerald's House_

"Can I open a present?! Can I open a present?!" Timberly asked, as she anxiously jumped up and down on the sofa.

"Here you go sweetie." Mrs. Johanson said.

"Ooohhh pretty!" the perky girl said, as she eyed doll her parents picked out for her.

"Your turn dear." Mrs. Johanson pointed to her husband.

Martin picked up the closest package to him and said "This one's from Gerald."

The family watched Martin unwrap Gerald's carefully thought out gift and listened to him say "What's this?"

"It's a battery operated light dad! Now you don't have to worry about so much electricity being wasted."

The penny pincher studied the gift until he finally said "Thanks Gerald...how much did it cost?"

 _The Beeper Emporium_

"Merry Christmas everyone!" Olga exclaimed, while pouring egg nog for her family members.

Helga sat on the couch with her arms crossed, not knowing what her family could possibly feel there was to be celebrating. They were living in a failing business with no sign of their lives improving anytime soon.

"Thanks Olga." Bob said, while taking the cup from his daughter.

Miriam (being awake surprisingly) smiled and said "Why don't you tell us more exciting stories from when you were in Alaska sweetie!"

Helga smacked her face at the thought of having to spend the holiday listening to that. The depressed girl stood from the couch to grab her purple jacket, and headed out the door.

As she was opening it, she shouted "I'm leaving…"

Not that anyone cared.

 _Walk_

Nadine was heading down the street to see Rhonda after receiving a call from her. She was still having a hard time believing the book wasn't there, until she bumped into someone…"OOF!

"I'm terribly sorry Nadine." Phoebe said, as she began to straighten her glasses.

"Sorry Phoebe. I was thinking about something, and wasn't watching where I was going." the blonde girl admitted.

"Is something troubling you?"

"Well, I don't know if you noticed the book I was reading at Rhonda's party a couple months ago? I lost it and don't know where it could be."

"If I may ask, what exactly did it look like?" Phoebe was curious to know.

"It was worn out, the pages were colored, and had all sorts of information about what seemed like a hidden village." Nadine explained.

Phoebe's eyes lit, knowing what her friend was referring to. "I regret to inform you the book has not only been found, but returned to its rightful owner."

 _The Boarding House_

"Merry Christmas! Here Herbie. You and Rudolph must be exhausted from your trip around the world last night!" Pookie said, while handing her grandson a cup of hot chocolate.

"Thanks grandma."

"What a loon!" Ernie shouted.

"I want to open my presents!" Oscar begged, as he held out his hands for one.

"Hooray...Coal? How did this happen again?" the immature man whined.

"Don't look at me." the construction worker grinned.

 _Walk_

Phoebe was walking down Vine Street when she noticed someone in the alley. "Helga?"

The blonde girl quickly jumped down from the trash can she had been kneeling on to peek inside the boarding house "Phoebe!"

"What are you doing Helga?"

"Me? Oh I was just uh…."

Phoebe smiled as she placed her hand on her nervous friend's shoulder and said "I'm sure it would mean the world to Arnold if you told him the truth Helga."

Helga then watched her friend continue on her way, rather than stick around to talk some sense into her.

 _Rhonda's House_

"Check out my new earrings Nadine!" the stylish pre-teen said, showing off the ruby heart shaped pieces hanging from her ears.

"They're nice Rhonda."

Rhonda rolled her eyes after seeing the perturbed facial expression her friend was carrying. "Seriously Nadine, would you forget about the book? You can read about that stuff online anytime."

"Actually, Phoebe told me who it belongs to." Nadine admitted, as she sat on her friend's bed.

"And who may I ask would that be?"

 _The Park_

Not having the guts to tell Arnold the truth, Helga began circling the park. Cold as it was outside, it still beat spending the holiday with her unwelcoming family. If she could just bring herself to admit to Arnold everything she had done for him, she'd never have to worry about being alone again. The only problem was, the idea of it seemed too good to be true.

 _Rhonda's House_

"How on earth did you end up with Arnold's dad's journal?" Rhonda insisted on knowing.

"I don't know? I found it at the lake. He must have left it there." Nadine assumed, not knowing what other explanation there could be.

"What was Phoebe doing with it?" Rhonda had to ask, being the gossip queen that she is.

"Helga gave it to her to give back to him."

Rather than asking how Helga came upon it, an evil grin came to Rhonda's face. Having Arnold know Helga did something so caring for him would humiliate her.

 _A Few Hours Later_

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold was sitting in the kitchen, wondering how all his friends had been enjoying their holiday. He got what he wanted, although he still hadn't found out how.

Moments later, he heard a knock at the door.

KNOCK KNOCK

The blonde boy got up to answer it. The pets poured past the visitor who didn't care to move an inch out of the way. Eyeing the girl who stood with her hands proudly on her hips, Arnold said "Oh hey Rhonda."

"Hello Arnold. How are you this evening?"

"Pretty good. Did you enjoy your Christmas?"

Rhonda's smile grew, as she replied "Yes. It was the best! Although I have to ask, why are you not with Helga?"

Arnold lifted an eyebrow and asked "What do you mean?"

"Well, she _is_ the one who found your journal. I figured the least you could do for her is take her on another date."

Arnold ignored the accusation his classmate made about their first night together. All that remained in his head was the thought of Helga finding his father's journal.

 _The Beeper Emporium_

"Jingle bells. Jingle B…" the family's singing was interrupted when they heard a knock on the store door.

"Oh for crying out loud! Who could that be?" Bob scowled. Rather than thinking about customers, he was simply enjoying his time with his successful daughter who always made the worst situations enjoyable.

Bob went to answer the door, seeing Arnold standing outside. "What do you want kid?"

"Hi Mr. Pataki. Is Helga home?"

"Who?" Bob cocked his brow.

Arnold widened his eyes as he replied "Helga? Your daughter."

"Oh right right. No, I haven't seen her." the salesman said bluntly, then shut the door in the young boy's face.

After pitying the home life Helga had to put up with, Arnold began wondering the town, hoping to come across her.

 _The Park_

Helga sat in the cold on the bench Lila had dumped Arnold at. It brought back memories to her. Almost every part of the city brought a memory of her beloved to her. She pulled out her locket to stare at his face, wishing she had the courage to confess her true feelings, without taking them back.

 _Oh Arnold! When will I find the strength to speak the truth? The courage to show my sensitive side? The ability to…_

"Helga?"

The petrified girl instantly shoved her locket back into her shirt and scowled "Stop creeping up on me!"

"Sorry, but I've been looking for you."

Helga gulped at the sound of this, and hesitantly replied "You...you have?"

Arnold took a seat beside his friend and said "Yeah. Rhonda told me you found my dad's journal."

Helga began to clench her fists, knowing Rhonda was just trying to make things difficult for her. "Stupid Princess! I ought to wring her neck!"

"Why Helga? What makes you think I wouldn't want to know sometihng like that?"

"Oh gimme a break Arnold? What makes _you_ think I would want you to know something like that about _me_?"

A moment of silence occurred, as Arnold considered how insecure Helga had always been. While Helga sat there beating herself up over those words, Arnold rested a hand on her shoulder and said "I have a question. Please be honest."

Helga turned to cock her brow as she said "About what?"

"Getting my dad's journal back was a miracle. Another miracle happened last Christmas that never got explained."

Helga's eyes widened, knowing where he was going with this.

"I searched town for a pair of Nancy Spumoni snow boots with Gerald to give to a man named Mr. Bailey for his daughter. If I did, he said he'd search for my neighbor's daughter Mai. He wouldn't do it when I said I couldn't find the boots. The next morning, Mai showed up at the boarding house."

By the time the blonde boy finished his story, Helga sat frozen. She held the bench with her hands tight, while staring wide eyed, feeling her heart beat wildly.

"Helga?" Arnold asked, wondering if she was okay.

"Well…"

"Yeah?"

"I mean, the fact that I wasn't wearing them at school, being the amazing person that I am, should have been your first clue right there football head! Sheesh!"

Arnold smiled at his friend. The same smile he gave whenever he knew she was just too proud to take credit for anything that would show how soft she truly was.

Placing a hand on hers, he sighed and said "Whatever you say Helga."

Helga could feel her heart fluttering at the touch of her beloved's hand. Hard as she tried to hold back her swoon, Arnold could hear the sweet sound, and easily noticed the pleasurable look his presence brought to her face.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10: Let Me Guess

"Alright! Pitch it over here Pink boy!" Helga eagerly shouted, while kneeling at the catcher's plate.

As Harold was eyeing the plate with his tongue sticking out to imply how seriously he was taking this, he began to dramatically swing his arm.

Before pitching the ball, the group heard…

"One for you, one for you, one for you…"

Helga stood to remove her mask, placing her hands on her hips, and scowled at the disruptor "What's the big idea Princess?"

The chic girl held out an invitation to the girl in the pink dress and said "I'm passing out invitations for my New Year's Eve Party. Here you go."

After snatching the card, Helga waved off her classmate and said "Yeah thanks. Now move along would ya?"

"Ingrate!"

The group refrained from practicing, while watching Rhonda walk around the field to hand them each an invitation.

"Boy howdy! A New Year's Eve party!" Sid exclaimed.

"I reckon I don't have anything too snazzy to wear." Stinky thought to himself.

While Rhonda was continuing to pass out the invites, she heard "Excuse me, but what's this about us having to have a resolution picked out by the time the party starts?" Gerald insisted on knowing.

"Thank you for pointing that out. We will be playing a game called 'That was my idea.' Each person is going to decide on a New Year's resolution. They will write it down, without mentioning their name. After everyone has placed their ideas into the bowl, we will all draw one and guess who's resolution it was." Rhonda explained.

"Aww why are you giving us homework? Our vacation's not over yet!" Harold pouted.

Rhonda placed a hand on her waist and sneered "Harold, it is not homework. We're simply getting to know one another."

"You say that like we haven't been friends our whole lives." Gerald said wittily, while passing his classmate a dull look.

"Actually, it's quite common for games such as these to be played at New Year's Eve parties. A New Year's resolution is an exceedingly popular tradition that most people choose to attempt at one point or another." Phoebe explained, in the hopes of settling her classmates' dispute.

Once the invitations had been handed out, Rhonda headed for the store to buy all the necessary supplies for the party.

Helga stood staring at her invitation, thinking to herself…

 _Oh Arnold, my beloved. If there was ever a perfect resolution I could fulfill, it would be showing you my kinder, gentler side. Fighting the urge to show you cruelty whenever you are near me. Oh my darling if only…_

"Helga? Helga? Helga?" Arnold continued to wave a hand at her, as he stepped up to the plate.

The lovesick girl stood holding the invitation close to her chest, with her mask pulled back. Everyone could see the dreamy look in her eyes as she was mumbling the sweet words to herself.

While most of the boys stood with perplexed looks, Gerald placed a hand on his waist with a pitiful expression on his face. He was beginning to believe the truth about Helga. The more he saw, the more it amazed him he hadn't seen it before. She never had a reason to be mean to Arnold. Why would she bother paying him so much attention (even if it was negative)?

After a few more waves of his hand, Arnold managed to snap the dazed girl out of her fantasy land.

"What?! What do you want football head?!" Helga scowled, as she pointed a finger at her beloved.

Arnold carefully stepped back, holding up his hands in defense, and replied "I was just going to say we're ready to start practice again."

"Yeah, yeah. Just watch where you're swinging that thing hariboy!" Helga warned him, kicking herself inside for once again blowing her chance to show some compassion.

If she did decide to make being nicer to Arnold her resolution, she would have to overcome her fear of what the others would think of it. Being _moderately_ nice to him wasn't such a big deal when they were alone. She was at least able to manage controlling her temper enough to show Arnold he was right about her being softer than she seemed. If only she could bring herself to do it in front of others.

 _Walk_

After practice had ended, Arnold began walking towards the boarding house with Gerald. What was his resolution going to be? What would make him happier than anything would be to see Helga open up to him. How was he supposed to decide how he felt about her if she was going to continue blowing him off?

Gerald looked at his quiet friend staring at the sidewalk and asked "So, did you have a good Christmas buddy?"

"Yeah. I got my dad's journal back." Arnold smiled, thinking about the nice person who found it for him.

"Really? Where'd you find it?" Gerald asked, not wanting Arnold to get wise to what had happened.

"Helga found it!" Arnold said excitedly.

Gerald rolled his eyes, assuming that meant Phil spilled the beans. That or Helga came to her senses, and showed up to talk to Arnold about it.

"I'm guessing she told you then."

A perplexed look formed on Arnold's face as he asked "Told me what?"

 _The Corner Store_

Rhonda was at the store, picking out all the necessary items she felt she would need to make the party perfect.

"Let's see, we'll need candles, snacks, flowers, and...AHH! What in the world are _you_ doing here?!" Rhonda screamed.

Curly grinned widely at his crush and said "I came to find YOU, dear. I heard about the party!"

"You were not given an invitation you creep!" Rhonda sneered, waving him off.

"I shall make it my mission to win you over, and we will free the animals together! Hahaha!" Curly shouted, as he ran past the disgusted pre-teen.

Rhonda watched the service clerks chase the eccentric boy across the store and said "Creep!"

 _Arnold's Room_

Arnold sat back on his couch with his arms folded in his lap, repeating everything Gerald had told him. "So you're saying Helga found it after Harold had it, then gave it to you to give to me?"

"Pretty much. I can tell that girl has feelings for you. I don't know why you of all people would be so hard to confront about it?" Gerald said, shrugging his shoulders.

Arnold thought to himself a moment. Helga didn't enjoy appearing weak to anyone. Even when he could tell something was upsetting her, she wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her.

"I guess I understand how she feels. Our class isn't always understanding when new information is brought up." Arnold pointed out to his friend.

 _Phoebe's House_

After deciding she wasn't in the mood to deal with her family, Helga went to spend the afternoon with her best friend.

"Are you looking forward to the party Helga?" Phoebe asked her friend who was laying on her bed, reading a wrestling magazine.

Helga tossed it aside and sat up to answer. "Let's see, I'll be playing a game that encourages me to follow through on my most desired accomplishment, only to risk being mocked and ridiculed in front of the entire class! Oh yeah Pheebs! It sounds just peachy!"

The overly dramatic girl was standing with her hands on her hips by the end of the description. Her innocent friend stared with concerned eyes, knowing how much it meant to Helga to show Arnold her kind side.

"Perhaps you could use this to your advantage?"

Helga crossed her arms at what seemed to be an absurd idea and scoffed "Pttss yeah? How do you figure?"

"Well, the answers are meant to be confidential. If Arnold truly sees some good in you, he'll be willing to believe it was you who wrote it."

Helga rolled her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips and said "Pheebs, we're not just reading them. We're guessing who wrote them. Even if by some miracle he's willing to believe I would/COULD convert to treating him right, that doesn't mean the rest of the group won't get a good laugh out of it."

"The choice is yours to make Helga." Phoebe pointed out, as a serious look came to her friend's face. This was going to take some thinking.

 _The Next Day_

 _New Year's Party_

Rhonda was setting up for the party. The finger sandwiches were made, the punch was set out, there were candles ready to be lit when New Year's was on the verge of happening. All that was missing was the guests.

 _The Beeper Emporium_

Bob looked around at everything he and Olga had done to brighten the place up, in the hopes of attracting some customers. The floors had been swept, everyone's personal items were no longer in the front room, Christmas lights were still hanging to celebrate New Year's, and Olga had just come up with another idea…

"Daddy! Let's get a banner to hang outside the store! It can say Christmas Clearance!"

Bob thought for a moment. Now that no one wanted the beepers anymore, the only way to sell any would be to dramatically lower the prices of everything.

"Alright then."

Clapping her hands with glee, Olga screeched "Yay! I'll be back!"

As she headed towards the door, she noticed Helga entering the emporium. "Where have you been baby sister?"

"Thought I'd take a stroll around town. See a movie, grab something to eat, ya know...anything that doesn't involve being here." Helga replied, not caring how blunt she sounded.

"Silly sister. Come with me to pick out a new banner for the store!" Olga insisted.

"Yeah. I don't think...WHOA!" Helga shouted, after being yanked out the door by her older sibling.

 _Rhonda's House_

"Alright chips!" Harold exclaimed, the moment he saw the snacks awaiting them on the table.

While the husky boy was digging into the dish, he looked to see a small sheet of paper being handed to him.

"What's this for?"

"It's for the game. Write down your resolution. In a little while, I'll bring the bowl around for everyone to place their sheets into." Rhonda explained.

"Okay…." Harold moaned, still considering it to be homework given to him at a party.

 _Porch_

Arnold was standing with Gerald drinking some punch on the back porch. Neither of them had heard from Helga since baseball practice the previous day. Arnold stood staring over the side of the porch wondering what Helga would be willing to change about herself if she was still this insecure about opening up to their classmates.

"So what's your resolution going to be buddy?" Gerald asked his best friend.

"I'm not sure."

Before having a chance to think it over, the boys looked to see Rhonda addressing them. "Here you go boys. Be sure to write down your resolutions, and have them ready for the game later tonight."

"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Gerald couldn't help but ask.

"It's a popular New Year's party activity, and my party's are always the best."

After watching the stuck up girl wander back into the house, Gerald shook his head and said "Mm, mm, mmm. Something tells me her resolution won't be anything modest."

 _The Corner Store_

"Let's see. We need something big enough to hang across the front of the store. Then you can help me paint it baby sister. Won't that be fun?!" Olga exclaimed, while pushing the cart down the aisle.

Helga slowly dragged her feet behind her sister. The only reason she hadn't fought to stay home was because this gave her an excuse to avoid writing her resolution at the party.

"I'd rather watch the paint _dry_."

 _The Boarding House_

The boarders were sitting in the dining room, eating the spaghetti Pookie cooked for all of them. Phil was trying to enjoy himself, but wasn't having the easiest time while listening to the usual bickering of the boarders.

"That's my party hat Kakoshka! Give it here ya bum!" Ernie snapped, as he leaned across the table to reach for his party favor.

"What do you mean? I found it in the kitchen. That makes it mine." Oscar insisted, not wanting to return the stolen item.

"You are just an idiot!" Mr. Hyunh shouted, not being anymore fond of Oscar than Ernie was.

"Will you be quiet!" Phil snapped, as he stood from his seat to lean over the table.

A moment of silence occurred until someone came marching through the door. Dressed as a leprechaun, carrying a plate of green four leaf clover cookies, Pookie said "Happy St. Patrick's Day everybody!"

 _The Corner Store_

Olga was standing in line with her younger sibling who looked as though her New Year's resolution was going to be finding a way to kill herself.

While their items were being rung up, Helga heard "Why aren't you at the party Helga?"

The blonde girl uncrossed her arms and turned to face Mrs. Johanson. "Huh?"

"Everyone's at Rhonda's New Year's Eve party. Did you not want to go?"

"Oh well I…" Helga began to tug at her collar. Before she could come up with an excuse, Olga butted in.

"A party! Oh dear, I'll get you there baby sister!"

"Perfect." the pre-teen muttered to herself. Rather than being torn between being humiliated at the party or miserable shopping with Olga, she would be experiencing both.

 _Rhonda's House_

"Okay everyone! It's time to play. Pass in your sheets." Rhonda instructed.

Arnold looked around the room, and couldn't help but notice Helga still hadn't shown up.

Everyone took their seats in the living room. Just as Rhonda was ready to pass the bowl around, they heard a knock at the door.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Uhh! Who could that be?" the chic girl sneered. She wasn't a fan of tardy guests.

Rhonda opened the door to see an unwelcome guest…

"I'm here dear!" the animal loving boy screamed, as he held out a bouquet of roses for the girl he had long admired.

"You! Get out of here now!" Rhonda demanded, while pointing him in the other direction.

"Come on. Give daddy some sugar!" Curly insisted, as he leaned in for a kiss.

Rhonda slammed the door in his face, only to turn and see the horrified looks the group was wearing.

"Looks like he forgave you." Gerald said amusingly, thinking back to the harsh break up that was performed in the cafeteria the previous year.

 _Rhonda's Front Yard_

"You'll be sorry!" Curly snapped.

The hyper boy turned in time to see a lifeless classmate of his approaching the door.

Helga stood with her arms crossed and asked "What are you doing here geek bait?"

"I came to make amends with the one I love. She couldn't speak the truth to me in front of that large crowd of people. I'll approach her again when the time is right." Curly dramatically explained before marching past Helga.

The blonde girl rolled her eyes at the abnormal boy and scoffed "Poor twisted little freak."

 _Rhonda's Living Room_

"Okay everyone. Let's…"

KNOCK KNOCK

"Uhhh! What now?" Rhonda complained, not approving of the interruptions.

The annoyed girl stood to again answer the door. Her frustrated look turned to an intrigued one when she saw the missing guest standing in the doorway.

"Well, well. You decided to come after all." Rhonda grinned, having a good idea as to what (or who) Helga was hoping to see.

"Gee ya think?" the blonde girl rolled her eyes at the senseless remark and began to head towards the living room.

 _The Boarding House_

While the boarders were fighting over the last of Pookie's cookies, the crazy lady was busy decorating the living room.

Phil walked in to see his wife placing a rainbow over the fireplace and a pot of chocolate gold coins beside it.

"Pookie! If that's not real gold, I don't want it in here." Phil said irritably.

After hanging the rainbow, Pookie jumped down from the fireplace to hand her husband a four leaf clover necklace. "Wear this Pat! You'll need something to protect you from the pinchers!"

Phil glared at the necklace Pookie handed him. He then watched his colorful wife (who was wearing a green coat and top hat) march past him and said "Crazy old coot."

 _Rhonda's House_

Finally, everyone had taken a seat in the living room. After not hearing anymore interruptions, they were ready to proceed with the game.

"We'll go in a circle starting with you Sid. Go ahead and draw a sheet." Rhonda instructed.

Sid looked at the resolution he had drawn to read aloud, already having a good idea of who it belonged to. "I promise to be more careful….I'm going to say Eugene."

"Gosh! How did you know? How did...Whoa! I'm okay!" the clumsy boy assured them, after falling out of his seat.

"Pttss...yeah, who would have guessed?" Helga scoffed, with her chin resting in her hand, propped against her knee. She sat beside Arnold on the couch, hoping the night wouldn't end as badly as she predicted. Once her resolution was read aloud, everyone could either laugh at her for thinking she was capable of being nicer, or showing a sign of weakness for wanting to do it.

After the group had gotten it's laughs in, Sid passed the bowl over to Nadine. The nature loving girl drew a resolution and began to read it aloud. "I promise to try new foods. You know Sheena…"

"Criminy. We're supposed to be guessing who wrote it, but you're just flat out accusing people."

Helga felt the need to point out, as she crossed her arms and leaned back against the couch.

The group laughed at the remark, while Nadine felt the need to explain. "Well, Sheena sometimes helps me search for insects, thanks to the protein different types of bugs have. So, we've talked about her diet before."

"That is disgusting!" Rhonda felt the need to comment.

After rolling her eyes at her unsupportive friend's remark, Nadine sighed and said "Whatever. It's your turn Gerald."

The serene boy reached for a resolution to read to the group. "I promise to cool out." The group all turned to look at who was known to be the class over-reactor. "My man Sid. Good luck with that."

"Pttss...you said a mouthful there pal." Helga leered, as she propped her head in her hand, leaning her elbow against the arm of the couch. She wasn't having the easiest time sitting still, knowing each answer read brought another chance of hers being read.

Everyone had been made fun of so far though, so there wasn't too much to fear.

"Your turn babe." Gerald happily passed the bowl to Phoebe.

The sweet girl drew a piece of paper that read "I promise to be more open to new ideas." Phoebe tilted her glasses as she looked around the room and thought to herself…

 _As extreme as Helga's desire to change her ways is, this doesn't quite seem to fit her._

"Was it you Arnold?"

Nadine butted in after hearing the guess and said "It was mine. As annoying as it is to hear everyone insult my interests in insects, it wouldn't hurt to find something else to enjoy doing too."

"Finally! You've come to your senses Nadine! We'll hit the mall first thing tomorrow." Rhonda exclaimed.

Nadine rolled her eyes at her friend, wondering if she should have thought of another resolution to come up with. She then passed the bowl along to Eugene, who anxiously reached for it.

"Here I go you guys! Let's see...It says 'I promise to stop eating in class...unless I'm really, really hungry."

Complete silence took over the room, knowing who had written it. Eugene kept a curious look on his face as he looked at Harold and said "Was it _you_ Harold?"

Helga smacked her face at the question and scowled "Well doi! Who else in here gets threatened to have their lunch taken away by Simmons?"

The students began to chuckle at the fair point until the angry boy stood and said "Stop laughing or I'll pound all of ya!"

"Harold sit down! You're ruining the party!" Rhonda demanded, with a harsh tone.

The husky boy then plopped down on the floor with his arms crossed and a grumpy facial expression.

Once the chaos had died down, Eugene looked to the next person in line and said "Here you go Sheena."

"Thank you Eugene! This person promises to share more of their styling tips. Oh how kind of them." Sheena said, while looking around the room.

After seeing the difficult time she was having choosing a person, Rhonda spoke up. "Your inability to point out who has the best sense of style in this room proves just how much you need my help. Lucky for you, I'm willing to share what I know."

"Oh how sweet of you!"

"Don't mention it. Now it's my turn…" Rhonda anxiously dug into the bowl.

"Okay. I promise to try to get along with my family." A wide grin formed on the snooty girl's face, as she eyed the girl in the pink dress and said "I wish you the best of luck Helga."

The blonde girl cocked her brow as she turned to face Rhonda and said "Excuse me?"

"While your sister shows no end to her accomplishments, your family in general is not the best definition of teamwork."

Helga clenched her fists as she began to stand from the couch. Before having the chance to go off on Rhonda, the group heard "It was mine."

Everyone looked over to see Gerald lifting his hand to draw the attention towards himself. "As unlikely as I know it is to change, I don't exactly enjoy the daily family feuds I have to put up with."

As full of herself as she was, Rhonda wasn't sure what to say in this situation. Helga then sat back down on the couch, and the bowl was passed onto the next person.

Having gotten over the insult, Harold pulled out a sheet to _attempt_ to read. "Okay let's see. I promise to help who-whoever is in need of my assi-assist-assi oh you're confusing me!"

"I don't reckon he can guess who wrote it if he can't even read it." Stinky felt the need to point out.

Feeling she had no choice, Phoebe spoke up to help Harold "I believe you've drawn my resolution, in which I promised to help whoever is in need of my assistance."

"I thought we were supposed to start doing things we don't already do?" Sid questioned.

Ignoring the response, Stinky reached for the bowl. "I reckon I'm next. It says, I promise to be nicer.

Helga could feel her heart pounding after hearing those vulnerable words being read aloud. She couldn't set herself up even further by appearing nervous to everyone. Therefore, she continued to lean her head in her hand, with her elbow propped on the arm of the couch. She could only pray the boring position being displayed was enough to fool everyone into thinking she didn't care about what their opinions of her were.

"Was it you Ms. Lila?"

Helga's tension was turned to annoyance as she thought to herself…

 _Oh brother. How the heck could she be any nicer?_

"I'm ever so certain it wasn't me Stinky." the redheaded girl assured her classmate.

"Well, I reckon it could have been you Helga. You don't seem to like being too nice though."

The group erupted with laughter, as the blonde girl did her best not to let her anger get the best of her.

Arnold looked to see the distressed look on his friend's face and asked "What's so weird about that?"

"You're kidding right Arnold?" Rhonda asked, with a dull look on her face.

"No. You guys are always complaining about the way she bullies you. Why would you make fun of her for wanting to change?"

A sweet smile and dreamy eyes appeared on Helga's face as she listened to her beloved stand up for her. She was awaken from her daze when she heard a perky classmate say…

"Well I think it's just ever so sweet of you Helga! It's just like when I gave you advice on how to be like me last year."

Arnold turned to give Helga a puzzled look as he listened to her gulp at the memory. "Uhh yeah. Who's next?"

"I believe it's my turn, and I'm just ever so excited!" Lila exclaimed, while reaching for the bowl.

Only a few names remained, which meant there wasn't much left to pick from. "I promise to help you be happy. Oh that's just ever so dear! Was it you Stinky?"

"I don't reckon I recall writing that. I suppose I could have?" Stinky began to scratch his head, until the group heard the owner speak up.

"Actually, it was me."

"That's so sweet Arnold! Who were you referring to?" Lila eagerly wished to know.

The blonde boy began to blush, not expecting any additional questions. "Well, all of you guys I guess. I mean, I enjoy doing whatever I can to help you all."

Arnold leaned back on the couch, content they accepted his answer. Only Helga noticed the look of relief in his eyes. Who could he have been referring to?

"Well, I guess I'm next." Arnold said, as he grabbed one of the two remaining sheets. "I promise to be as smart as my pa."

Before the caring boy could point out who it was, Helga scoffed "You've got your work cut out for you there."

"Aww gee." the country boy moaned at the class' constant laughter of his poorly worded resolution.

"You're the last one Helga." Arnold said, handing her the remaining sheet.

The now calm girl glared at the resolution with her head still propped in her hand, leaning against the arm of the couch.

"I promise to invite you all over for a sleepover….no need."

"Do us guys get to go too?" Stinky wondered.

Helga smacked her face at his ignorance and said "So much for your resolution."

 _Five Minutes 'Til Midnight_

"Okay everyone! I'm lighting the beautiful, incredibly expensive, candles I got just for the occasion. I've lit one for each of you. When Midnight comes, we'll each blow ours out and shout 'Happy New Year' Got it?"

"So that's how New Year's works. Thanks for clearing that one up." Gerald said wittily.

Helga stood with her pink carnation candle, wondering what Arnold meant by his resolution. He not only knew, but made it clear to everyone how appreciative he was of _her_ attempt to change. What was _he_ planning?

"Five...Four...Three...Two…"

"Oh no! My candle went out! I need a new one! I…" Sid cried out in fear.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

After everyone said their cheers, the group looked at the nervous boy holding his hat. Gerald shook his head and said "Well, you tried Sid."

 _After The Party_

The group headed home in separate directions. Helga was heading down the sidewalk staring at the ground with her hands in her pockets. She then heard a voice from behind…

"Hey Helga."

"Arnold! I mean...stop creeping up on me!"

"Sorry. I just wanted to know if I could walk you home?"

"If by home you mean that sorry excuse for a business, then sure." she leered.

The walk was quiet the first few minutes. Arnold really was hurt knowing Helga had to live where she did, with the unsupportive family that she had.

"Hey Helga?"

The blonde girl turned to face her friend with her hands in her pockets and asked "Yeah football head?"

"You were the one I was talking about, when I said I promise to make you happy."

The pigtailed girl's eyes widened in disbelief. She stood still a moment, feeling she had to have misheard him. That or this was all just a crazy dream.

After shaking her head harshly, she said "Pttss...what makes you think I need anyone's help being happy?"

"Well, just because you don't need me for something doesn't mean I don't want to be there for you. You've done a lot for me over the years, even though you're not willing to admit you did everything to make me happy."

Helga could feel sweat forming on her face. Was she that predictable, or had she just opened up to him that much recently?

"What's your point?" she asked, attempting to keep her cool.

"My point is, I've thought about the times I was able to do something to make things better for you."

Crossing her arms at his excuse, Helga glared at the boy and asked "Such as?"

"When you were the It Girl. You said it was driving you crazy, so I told you to act nice. It made me happy to see you so happy to be let out of your contract. Then when you were _blind_ on April Fool's Day…"

Helga began to rub her neck, blushing at the memory.

"It felt good doing whatever I could to help you, considering how awful I felt for _blinding_ you."

"Uhhh yeah. I guess it does feel good to lend a hand to someone every once in awhile. Why do you think I'm always warning you not to tell anyone I never did you any favors?"

Arnold looked at his friend with half lidded eyes and the smile that always made her go weak at the knees. Holding her hand in his, he walked her the rest of the way to the emporium.

"That's a nice banner." Arnold pointed at the decorative sign the Patakis had hanging above the store.

Helga gave a dull look after hearing the complement and smirked "Pttss...yeah, and this is a nice store."

Disregarding the harsh remark, Arnold took his friend's hand in his and said "I'm really glad you came tonight. I've enjoyed the holidays with you."

Helga did her best to hold back her swoon as she replied "Yeah, they didn't suck as much as they normally do."

"Well good night." the sweet boy waved, as he headed towards the boarding house.

"Night football head."

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold opened the door, waiting for the pets to pour out. When he didn't see them, he went to see if anyone was awake.

Arnold found his grandpa in the kitchen eating a roast beef sandwich. "Hey grandpa."

"Hey shortman. How was the party?"

"Umm pretty good. Where are all the pets?" the curious boy asked, taking a seat at the table.

"Your crazy grandma's been trying to paint them green all night. They ran out a few hours ago and I haven't seen 'em since...or her for that matter."

Not feeling there was much he could do, Arnold stood from the table and sighed "I guess I'm going to sleep. Night grandpa."

"Night shortman. Happy New Year."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11: Love Is Pain

Valentine's Day had arrived, and everyone was busy in class making cards for their classmates.

"Remember class, we'll be giving these to each other before school ends, so make them all as special as you can!"

"Sheesh! What a throw pillow." Helga scoffed, after listening to the high spirited teacher.

Phoebe turned to look at her friend who seemed to be bored with her project and asked "Are you doing anything special for Valentine's Day Helga?"

The annoyed girl sighed at the senseless question and said "Not unless watching Miriam make herself a special smoothie counts."

While Helga was busy drawing a Valentine she assumed she wouldn't have the courage to deliver to who it was intended for, Arnold was contemplating who to make one for.

Lila didn't have feelings for him, he had at last given up on her. It didn't take long to figure out Ruth wasn't the one for him. Even if Helga would be a nice person to get to know, there was no guarantee she would accept such a romantic gesture in front of their friends.

The bell for lunch soon rang, and Arnold realized he had spent the whole morning staring at a blank sheet of paper.

 _Cafeteria_

"So did you finish your Valentine for Phoebe?" the blonde boy asked his friend.

"Yeah man. I'm going to give it to her tonight." Gerald said proudly.

After a moment of silence, the laid back boy noticed his troubled friend and asked "Everything alright buddy?"

The boys continued to move through the lunch line, grabbing the items they pleased, as Gerald listened to Arnold reply "I just don't know if I should make one for Helga or not. We're not together. She said last month she's going to try to be nicer to me in front of everyone. I don't want to ruin it by pressuring her with something romantic."

"Look I'm not about to go exposing that girl (mainly because she'd never admit to it), but if everything she said to you that night was true, something tells me a Valentine from you would be a dream come true."

The boys left the lunch line after grabbing their desired items. Arnold quietly headed for a table, considering what Gerald had said. His mind was so far gone, he wasn't watching where he was walking.

"WHOA!"

The cafeteria turned to see Arnold had slipped in a puddle of tapioca that had been spilled on the floor.

"Arnold! Are you alright?" Gerald asked, while lending his friend a hand up.

The blonde boy quickly tried to stand, not noticing any pain at first. "Yeah I think...OW!"

Arnold held the spot on his head tightly that hit the floor. He began to feel an instant headache.

"Let's get you to the nurse's office." Gerald insisted.

 _Table_

The whole cafeteria had stopped what they were doing to watch the injured boy leave the room. No one looking more concerned than Helga. Phoebe watched her friend continue to stand with her arms leaning on the table, and a worried look on her face (even after the boys had left the cafeteria).

"Don't worry Helga. I'm sure everything will be fine."

Helga wondered if this was a sign she should forget about giving Arnold her Valentine. He would more than likely be heading home. If so, there was no need to bother him with it.

 _The Nurse's Office_

"Here you go sweetie! Take this, then go home and get some rest." The nurse said to the injured boy, after handing him some pain killers.

Arnold swallowed the pills while holding his throbbing head. It almost seemed like a better idea to lay there the rest of the day than go through the trouble of walking home.

 _Hallway_

When the bell to end lunch rang, Gerald stepped out of the nurse's office to head for class. "I'll see you later...THUMP!"

The placid boy looked to see who he had just bumped into. "Pataki? What are you doing here?"

Helga nervously began tugging at her collar, not knowing how to explain herself. She could say she just wanted to check on Arnold, but then that would mean actually going into the office.

Gerald continued to glare at her, knowing what she had to be up to. Class was on the verge of beginning however; he didn't have time to wait for her to confess.

With that, he shook his head and said "Later."

Helga wiped the sweat from her brow, and began to slide down against the wall with relief "Whew!"

That is, until she heard the door opening. No sooner had she sat down on the floor, she was racing towards the classroom, not wanting Arnold to see her out there.

 _Classroom_

"Okay class, you can all hand out your Valentine's. That is, unless you have somewhere special tonight you plan on giving them to that special someone!" the perky teacher assumed.

"Aww why did we have to make these stupid things? Why couldn't we just get candy?" Harold complained.

"Taking the time to make a card for that special someone shows just how much they mean to you!" Mr. Simmons explained.

After listening to these words, Gerald and Phoebe simultaneously looked at one another. Phoebe began to blush at the enticing look the cool boy was sending her.

"What if we don't have anyone we think is special?" Sid raised his hand to ask.

"Just because no one likes you is no reason to criticize the rest of us Sid." Rhonda sneered, as she turned her nose up at what she considered to be an insult to the class.

"Settle down class. If you made a card, you're welcome to hand it out. If not, I'm sure you'll find that special someone someday soon."

Helga sat in her seat listening to her teacher go on about not giving up hope on finding true love one day. As she listened to him, she sat staring sadly at her desk, thinking just because she loved someone didn't mean he would ever feel the same way about her.

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold walked inside to see Phil reading the newspaper at the kitchen table.

"Hey grandpa."

Phil set aside his paper to see his grandson holding his head. "Hey shortman! What are you doing home so early?"

"I slipped and hit my head…"

"Uh oh! Guess you won't be planning any big dates tonight." Phil winked.

"Guess not. I'm going to lay down."

As Phil watched his grandson leave the room, Pookie walked up behind her husband stirring a bowl of soup and asked "Why, where's young Cupid going?"

 _P.S.118_

Once school ended for the day, Gerald decided he would go check on Arnold before giving Phoebe her Valentine.

Helga watched her beloved's friend leave the room, wondering if it would be safe to follow him. As she stood there contemplating this, she heard from behind "Helga?"

"Phoebe! Sheesh!"

"Forgive me for startling you Helga. I was simply going to ask if you wanted to join me at my house?" Phoebe offered, knowing how much her friend loathed being around her family.

Helga sighed at the offer and replied "No thanks Pheebs. I'll see you later."

 _Arnold's Room_

Arnold laid on his bed with his eyes shut and a pillow over his face. His head hurt too much to sleep. The boy then heard someone entering his room.

"Who is it?" he asked softly.

"It's me young Cupid. I brought you some soup." Pookie replied, as she set the bowl beside his bed.

Arnold slowly propped himself up on his elbows and said "I'm really not hungry grandma."

"What's the matter? It's Valentine's Day! Shouldn't you and young Psyche be celebrating?"

The blonde boy's head hurt too much to feel as though he was put on the spot. That being the case, he laid his head back down and said "I don't know grandma. I'm trying to understand how she feels, but she's not making it easy. My head hurts too much to think about it right now."

"Ahh well you know Cupid, pain is an important part of love!" Pookie pointed out.

Arnold continued to listen, as he laid on his pillow with his hands folded on his stomach.

"When one is in love, few things can distract the person. One of your arrows to the heart would feel like the key to the Emerald City had been discovered. Which reminds me I still have to search there for the Titanic."

The tired boy then watched his grandma leave the room, and began to think about her words…

 _When one is in love, few things can distract the person_

When he had a crush on Ms. Felter, being hit by that fly ball barely phased him. Rather than feeling pain from the situation, he felt as though he had been put on cloud nine.

When he and Helga both caddied for Phil and Bob, Arnold watched Helga get smacked by a golf ball. Rather than crying out in pain when she fell to the ground, the blonde girl began reciting poetic words which expressed her strong feelings for him.

 _Alley_

After turning down the invitation to her friend's house, Helga headed to another friend's (uninvited).

There she sat lurking on her beloved's roof, watching him sleep peacefully. Her eyes fell into a half lidded gaze as she thought to herself whether or not it would be the best idea to give him the Valentine she had made.

 _Arnold's Room_

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Come in." the tired boy sighed.

Gerald entered to check on his injured friend and asked "Hey man, you feeling any better?"

Arnold did his best to sit up and replied "Not really. Did Phoebe like her Valentine?"

"Well I haven't given it to her yet. I thought I'd check on you first." Gerald explained, as he watched his friend hold out his thumb.

"You're a real pal Gerald."

"Thanks man. See ya later."

 _Alley_

After watching Gerald leave the room, Helga decided it would be best to scurry home before he caught her back there. Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough.

As she was climbing down the steps of the fire escape, she heard from behind "Pataki?"

Helga gasped, knowing she was stuck. She continued to climb down, and asked "Hey there Geraldo. What's up?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm taking a walk. Doi!" Helga scowled with her hands on her hips.

Gerald crossed his arms in disbelief, as he glared and said "Taking a walk...on his fire escape?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?!" the nervous girl snapped, pointing a finger at her accuser.

Gerald shook his head, knowing if she was ever going to admit to anything, it would have to be by her own doing.

"Whatever you say Helga."

 _Phoebe's House_

The intelligent girl sat at her desk, working on their latest math assignment when she heard her mother call out "Phoebe dear! There's someone here to see you."

Phoebe turned away from her work to see a cute boy smiling at her.

"Hey babe. Happy Valentine's Day!"

After giggling at the greeting, Phoebe replied "Why thank you Gerald. Happy Valentine's Day to you as well."

Gerald walked over to hand his favorite girl the sweet card he had spent the morning working on for her.

The sweet girl looked at the front of the card which had her name along with a list of familiar characteristics describing her friend…

Phoebe

Pop Daddy

Urban Legends

After reading the front, she opened the card to see a heart poke out. The inside read...

You make my heart POP!

Seeing the thought he had put into the card made Phoebe blush harder than she had in class earlier that day.

"Why thank you Gerald. I'm pleased to say I've finished your card as well."

The unusually anxious boy reached for the card that showed a notepad and pencil holding hands on the cover.

He then opened it to read…

I don't know what I'd do without you!

 _Arnold's Room_

Arnold was laying on his bed holding his head, wondering how everyone was enjoying their Valentine's Day. His eyes flashed open when he heard an unexpected noise…

"WHOA!"

The blonde boy immediately sat up when he saw someone had fallen through his window.

"Helga?!"

The petrified girl quickly rose to her feet and steadily began backing away. "Hey...hey Arnold."

Suddenly his headache didn't seem so distracting. Arnold watched the nervous girl innocently wave at him, as he began to ask "What were you doing on my roof?"

"Oh I was just checking on you is all hehe." Helga tugged at her collar, not knowing of a better excuse.

Arnold smiled, knowing what she had to be up to. It was nice getting a chance to see her that day, even if she wasn't willing to admit why she was there.

"Do you want to sit down?"

"Uhh sure. Why not?" she gulped, taking a seat beside him.

Arnold sat up as he listened to her ask "So, how's your head doing?"

"It's not too bad. How's your night been?"

Helga crossed her arms in annoyance at the idea of him thinking any night for her may be good. "Pttss...no worse than usual I guess."

Before he could think of anything else to say, he noticed something on the floor.

"What's that?"

Helga looked to see Arnold staring at the Valentine she had made for him. Her eyes widened with fear. Even if she quickly snatched it from him now, it would imply it was meant for him.

"It was just a card I made you."

Arnold held out his hand, implying now would be the time to show him. "Can I see it?"

Helga sighed as she handed over what she wasn't sure would humiliate her or not. She had already revealed that she stalked him, wrote poems about him, built shrines to him, and kissed him. Why would a card be the end of the world?

The front of the card had a kid holding a football that read….

Happy Valentine's Day Football Head

Arnold then opened it to read…

Life wouldn't be any fun without you to kick around

Helga blushed deeply after watching him set the card aside. Arnold took his friend's hand in his and said "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to make you one."

"Eh don't sweat it."

A moment of silence occurred. Arnold watched his friend stare across his room into his closet. He then realized she was eyeing the red shoe Cecile had left from Valentine's Day last year.

"That shoe's not mine if that's what you're thinking." he felt the need to say.

Helga quickly whipped her head towards her beloved and said "Shoe? What shoe?"

Arnold lifted an eyebrow, not knowing what had her so worked up. "The red shoe you were just looking at."

"Oh. Pttss..well doi! Of course I know it's not yours. Only Curly would be crazy enough to wear heels."

"It's actually from last Valentine's Day with someone who was pretending to be my pen pal Cecile. I don't know how they knew about her or why they were pretending to be her. I never did figure out who they were."

Helga felt sweat forming on her brow. She began clenching the sheets of his bed tightly as she listened to him go on about the night.

"We were eating dinner at Chez Paris. She had an interesting hairstyle when I first saw her. The night got kind of crazy though…"

Helga nervously interrupted, not knowing what to do "Really? How?"

 _Nice going Helga! Stupid! Stupid!_

"Well, I was also meeting Ruth for dinner at Chez Pierre that night…"

Helga's nervousness turned to annoyance after hearing that name brought up. Although it didn't agitate her as much as Lila, it still didn't please her to hear any name that attracted Arnold.

"I ran back and forth between the restaurants to keep both dates."

Upset at the memory of being blown off, Helga crossed her arms and scoffed "Pttss...trust me I remember."

Arnold lifted an eyebrow in confusion and asked "What?"

Helga's eyes widened at the slip of her tongue. She uncrossed her arms and said "I...I mean I…"

Arnold then remembered how the night ended. Cecile left the restaurant looking nothing like she had at the beginning of the date. Her hair flowed gracefully down her face. She was so upset by Arnold's disappearance, her French accent had disappeared.

The memory of the look he shared with Cecile while picking up her shoe was coming back to him.

Arnold's eyes then widened to match his friend's as he said "Helga? It was you!"

Her fear of the information being revealed turned to complete astonishment at his density. "Criminy. Do I look _that_ different with my hair down?"

Arnold began to rub his neck in embarrassment, as he replied "I guess not. You were just the last person I expected to want to go on a date with me."

Helga began twiddling her thumbs, understanding his point. For all she knew, he was just in complete denial that night.

"Yeah, well I should get going. I just wanted to check on you." she said, although it implied she was spying on him.

Before letting her go, Arnold mentioned "You know, my grandma said pain is an important part of love. It shows how much the person means to you."

Helga sat a moment, thinking of a few other times (aside from falling through his roof moments ago), her great affections put her in painful situations…

When she ended up in a neck brace at the Cheese Festival

When she fell through his floor to kill the parrot at school

When she was hit by the golf ball

"Yeah, I guess your grandma's not as crazy as she seems." Helga smirked, as she rose from the bed, placing her hands on her hips.

"At least sometimes she's not." Arnold admitted.

After a moment of awkward silence, Helga rubbed her neck and said "Well, I'll see ya at school I guess."

"Okay. Good night Helga."

"Night football head."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12: Something New

Spring break had arrived, which meant fifth grade was on the verge of ending. Quite a bit of Helga's personal information had been revealed to Arnold, yet his feelings for her still hadn't been confirmed. While exposing bits of her secrets was in a way relieving, the fact that he hadn't returned those feelings still had her on edge. If she wasn't careful, she would be setting herself up for the humiliating rejection that had always worried her.

 _Walk_

"Looks like they're setting up for the Cheese Festival again." Arnold pointed out to Gerald.

"Who's the lady you'll be trying to impress this year?" Gerald asked, knowing his friend always used it as an opportunity to impress his crush.

Rather than stopping to stare at everything being set up, Arnold continued to walk and said "I'm not worried about that this year."

Lurking from around the corner of a snack stand that had been set up, a blonde girl couldn't help but listen in on the conversation.

After listening to Arnold go on about having no desires to plan a date with anyone at the annual event this year, Helga's heart began to ache.

The dramatic girl pulled her locket out of her shirt and began to pour her painful emotions out…

 _Oh Arnold! Even with the secrets I've revealed, you've yet to see me as the one for you. I must find the strength to overlook this torturous fear of rejection. I won't waste another minute! Tonight…_

"Hey kid. What are you doing down there?"

Helga quickly tucked her locked back into her shirt, and looked to see the workers bringing some food over to the stand.

The poetic girl rose from the ground and carefully began to back away, while the worker stared in confusion.

 _The Beeper Empire_

"Help me sort these would ya Olga? Your mother's passed out in the break room again." Bob sighed, while bringing a box of beepers over to her.

"Of course daddy!"

Olga took a seat beside her father on the couch that had once again been pulled into the front of the store. The more time past, the clearer it became no one was ever going to be interested in those once useful pieces of merchandise. If only Bob would admit to it.

Moments later, he and Olga turned to see the missing member of their family entering the store. "Hello baby sister!"

"Get over here and help sort beepers would ya Olga?" Bob asked his younger daughter.

Not taking into consideration how neglected her younger sister was, Olga smiled and said "I'm already helping you daddy!"

"No, not you; her." Bob pointed to his younger daughter who was standing with her hands on her hips.

"Yeah ME. You know, the neglected child who you outweigh so heavily, he can't remember my freaking name!"

"Hey! You watch your mouth missy." Bob warned her, as he stood from the sofa to point a finger at the frustrated girl.

"You don't remember her name daddy? It's Helga. You must be working too hard." the older child reminded him, not realizing how much more favored she was than her sibling.

"Pttss...oh yeah. That's the only reason." Helga scoffed, as she headed for her sorry excuse for a room.

 _Phoebe's House_

Phoebe was sitting at her desk, about to get a jump start on her homework when the phone rang.

RING! RING!

"Hello?"

"Hey Pheebs."

"Hello Helga. Is everything alright?"

"Fine. Listen, I'm going to the Cheese Festival tomorrow and you're going with me."

"I am?"

"Invite Gerald, then tell Gerald to invite a _friend._ "

"Well, okay Helga."

 _Arnold's Room_

Gerald eyed his friend who was sitting with his legs crossed and hands settled in his lap on the red couch. Judging by how quiet Arnold was being ever since the Cheese Festival had been brought up, he knew something had to be on his mind.

"Come on man spill it! Why don't you want to go this year?"

"Well, every time I've gone, it's just been to impress a girl. I'm not trying to impress anyone now."

Gerald glared with his hands on his hips, having a hard time believing that. Even if he knew his friend wasn't deeply in love with Helga, he noticed a few things changing recently. The way Arnold stood up for her at the New Year's Eve Party, how grateful he was that Helga found the journal, the fun time they spent at the Halloween party together.

It was reaching the point where although Helga was still her uptight self, she could be around Arnold without feeling the need to act repulsed.

Just when Gerald was tempted to mention her, the boys heard the phone ring…

RING! RING!

Arnold answered it, being right beside the table.

"Hello?"

"Hello Arnold."

"Phoebe?"

"Yes. Helga and I are attending the Cheese Festival tomorrow and would appreciate it if you and Gerald would join us."

"Uhhh I guess so."

"Wonderful. See you then."

Arnold hung up, not feeling right turning down the offer. Gerald lifted an eyebrow at his friend and asked "What is it man?"

"That was Phoebe."

"Phoebe? What'd she want?" the placid boy wondered, not knowing what reason she would have to contact him.

"She and Helga want us to join them at the Cheese Festival."

Shaking his head at the information, Gerald replied "Mm, mm, mmm. Well, looks like you got your date for the year."

 _Phoebe's House_

Phoebe sat at the table for dinner with her parents. While the two adults were enjoying their rice and spring rolls, Phoebe simply picked at her plate.

"Phoebe dearest, is anything the matter?" Kyo asked.

"No father, everything's fine." the perturbed girl assured him.

"Are you sure? You seem distracted dear." Reba couldn't help but agree with her husband.

The young Asian girl stared at her plate, wondering if she made the right decision to go ahead and call Arnold herself. She knew that was who Helga wanted Gerald to bring, Helga just didn't want to specifically phrase it as…

 _Phoebe tell Gerald to invite Arnold to come with us to the Cheese Festival_

The fact that she went ahead and directly invited him herself however, may still imply Helga was hoping to see him there.

After considering this, Phoebe let out a deep sigh and said "No mother, everything's fine. Honest."

 _The Boarding House_

"I'll see you tomorrow Gerald." Arnold said, as he held out his thumb for his friend.

"Later man." the easy going boy said, as he tried to avoid being trampled by the line of pets that poured past him.

After watching his friend leave, Arnold went to find his grandparents in the kitchen.

His eccentric grandmother was wearing a Christopher Columbus outfit that his grandfather wasn't too impressed by.

"Pookie, what the heck are you doing?" Phil asked, standing from the table with his hands on his hips.

"It's the first day of spring! The day Columbus discovered America!"

The energetic lady marched past her grandson, who was entering the kitchen to see his grandfather sighing at his crazy wife's behavior.

"Hey grandpa."

"Hey shortman. How's it going?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be going to the Cheese Festival with some friends tomorrow…"

"Ooh let me guess. Your cranky friend with the big pink bow and the one eyebrow." Phil said eagerly.

"Helga. Right. Anyway, it sounds like she wants me there with her, but I'm worried it might seem like a date." Arnold explained, while nervously rubbing his arm that sat on the table.

"Well, she likes you doesn't she?" Phil pushed him to admit.

"She said she does, but she could have just been making that up." Arnold hesitated to say, as he slouched further down in his seat.

"Come on Arnold. She picks on you, she has her own special nickname for you, she follows you around like a lost puppy. What more proof do you need?" the elderly man shouted in disbelief at his grandson's ignorance.

"It just seems so sudden. I mean I know it was almost a year ago that she kissed me, but that doesn't change all the years she's spent telling me how much she hates me." he sighed, placing his head in both his hands.

Phil watched his grandson stare at the table with a discouraging expression. Arnold was a good boy who didn't like to hurt anyone. For all he knew, he did like Helga, and was just to scared to risk finding out everything she said was a cruel prank. Just because he was optimistic didn't mean he couldn't ever get his feelings hurt.

"Well shortman, you don't have to have feelings for her to hang out with her. Heck even before she said anything to you, she was at every play date you had with your friends. Of course, she was probably just hiding her feelings then." Phil rubbed his chin, blabbing every thought that came to his mind.

"Yeah, well I think I'm going to sleep. Good night."

"Night shortman."

 _The Beeper Emporium_

It was close to ten when Olga and Bob had finally finished sorting the beepers.

"There, that's the last of them." Bob sighed.

"Daddy. Did you really forget Helga's name?" Olga asked, finding it hard to believe.

"Who?"

"Helga! Baby sister!"

"Oh right right. No I didn't forget. Even if I did, it's not my fault she won't wear the name tag I got her for her birthday last year." Bob said in defense, as he stood to carry his merchandise to the back room.

Olga sat on the couch, thinking back to what had happened when she moved to Alaska. All she wanted was to be closer to Helga, but her plan backfired. Maybe this was her second chance.

 _The Next Day_

 _The Cheese Festival_

Arnold and Gerald were waiting outside the festival for the girls. Every time Arnold had been to the festival, a flaw appeared in his plan. Although he found it a little uncanny he would be there enjoying the night with Helga, perhaps the fact that he wasn't trying to impress someone would make the night more enjoyable. He may not have realized it, but by willingly attending a social event such as this with Helga, he was fulfilling another of the romantic characteristics Phil had warned him about; trying something new.

"You ready for tonight man?" Gerald patted his friend on the back.

"You bet."

"Good, because I see them coming now." the tranquil boy pointed.

As Arnold watched the girls approach, he failed to notice the nervous expression on Helga's face.

Phoebe took notice of the awkward silence between them as she was approaching the boys and quietly asked "Are you alright Helga?"

The tense girl quickly whipped her head towards her friend and replied "Me? Of course I'm fine? Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well okay, I was just checking." the intelligent girl assured her friend.

The girls continued to walk, while Helga thought to herself…

 _This is it Helga Ol' Girl. No pranks, no insults, just a nice normal night with Arnold. Oh Arnold my love. Here with you at this wonderful event. Sharing this special evening with you. Oh my darling I…_

"Helga? Helga?" Arnold waved a hand in her face, wondering what was up with the dazed expression she was wearing.

After a few more calls of her name, the group saw Helga shake her head and listened to her snap "What?! I mean what do you want football head?"

Helga immediately gulped after snapping at her friend. Right away she had blown her goal.

 _Nice going Helga!_

While Arnold delivered a defensive look, Phoebe and Gerald eyed each other, wondering how much longer she was going to keep up this charade.

Once a moment had gone by and no one else had spoken up, Helga cleared her throat and said "I...I mean what did you want to ask me Arnold?"

"I was just going to ask if you guys were ready to go inside?"

"Oh. Yeah let's go. Come on Pheebs." Helga motioned for her friend to follow, while Gerald gave Arnold a look that read…

 _You know she likes you_

The group entered the festival to see their favorite rides, games, and practically every person there with a stick of cheese in their hand.

"So what should we do first?" Arnold asked.

"Well I don't know about you, but all this cheese is making me hungry. I'm going to go get a stick. Want to come babe?" Gerald asked Phoebe.

The small girl looked back and forth from him to Helga. On the one hand, leaving her alone with Arnold would give them a chance to become more comfortable with one another in public situations. On the other, Helga would more than likely see it as being abandoned and left in a pressured situation.

"Well, I suppose so." she agreed, hoping Helga wouldn't take too much offense to it.

Before the pigtailed girl could give her opinion, she heard someone say "Let's go play a game while they eat."

"Oh umm sure. I mean, whatever floats your boat football head." Helga laughed nervously.

Arnold lead her over to Ball Toss, where he was given three shots to knock down three pins.

"I remember this game. I spent all my money on a bucket of balls trying to win Lila a teddy bear."

"Pttss...like Ms. Perfect needs anything to make her look sweeter." Helga scoffed with her arms crossed.

Arnold looked at his friend, remembering his resolution…

 _I promise to make you happy_

Whether it seemed like a date or not, he wasn't going to let it turn out to be a bad night for his friend.

"Maybe I could win _you_ something." he offered.

Helga uncrossed her arms and stared blankly at the sweet boy. She stood speechless thinking to herself…

 _Arnold actually wants to win something for ME? He wants to spend his money on ME! Oh be still my beating heart!_

After a few blinks of her eyes, Helga snapped out of her daze and said "Eh, why not? Maybe your skills have improved since then."

Arnold then laid his money down on the counter and said to the owner of the stand "Three tries please."

 _Cheese Stand_

Once they had each gotten a stick of cheese, Gerald and Phoebe stood at the snack stand eyeing their two friends from afar.

"Mm, mm, mmm. Would you look at that?"

"It is rather extraordinary how close they've grown." Phoebe admitted.

"Now if we could just get Arnold to admit it, and Pataki to show it." Gerald said wittily.

 _Ball Toss_

"Sorry kid." the leader of the stand said, after seeing Arnold fail to knock down the pins.

"Sorry Helga." Arnold frowned, wishing he could make her happy.

Helga rolled her eyes at the pitiful look he was showing and said "Step aside. I'll show you how it's done."

Arnold watched Helga knock the pins down one by one, as if it was something she did in her sleep.

"Here you go kid." the stand leader said, as he handed her the stuffed teddy bear.

"Wow! Great job Helga!" Arnold exclaimed.

The talented girl began to blush as she handed over the bear and said "Uhh thanks. Here you go."

"Gee thanks." Arnold smiled, loving when Helga was willing to show the kind side he knew she possessed.

"Don't mention it. Let's go find Pheebs and Geraldo."

 _The Bumper Cars_

"Yes! I got 'em!" Harold shouted, while waving his fist with excitement.

"Watch this Harold!" Stinky warned him, just before hitting him from behind.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" the husky boy complained, as he turned his car to chase his friend.

Arnold, Gerald, Helga, and Phoebe were watching the cars, waiting for their turn to ride.

The guys were far enough away to have a private conversation. "So, you and your teddy bear ready to get hit?" Gerald asked his friend.

Arnold blushed at the comment while holding his prize and replied "I guess so. Are you riding with Phoebe?"

"You bet man!"

Helga was resting her arms on the door of the booth, wondering if she should ask Arnold to ride with her.

"Are you going to request that Arnold ride with you Helga?" Phoebe asked her perplexed friend.

"Pttss...are you crazy? I'm not four. I don't need supervision to drive a stupid bumper car." Helga smirked.

A disappointed look appeared on Phoebe's face, not knowing when her friend was going to give in.

Moments later, the current kids riding the cars were leaving, and it was time for the new riders to enter.

Phoebe and Gerald took a seat in car number three. Helga already knowing about the problem car number four possessed, took a seat in car number five.

After she had gotten into her vehicle, Helga watched her beloved sit down with his teddy bear. The lonely girl figured the least she could do would be to not bump his car after avoiding the chance to ask him to ride with her.

Helga circled the floor, bumping the other cars she saw, until she heard "Hey, what's going on?"

Her violence was put on hold when she turned her car around to see Arnold being bumped profusely, with no way to retaliate.

 _Oh no! My beloved is in the dreaded car number four!_

Arnold was stuck fidgeting with the steering wheel, when he saw Eugene heading his way. He was giving up on the steering wheel, preparing for the worst, until suddenly…

"AHHH!"

Arnold looked to see Helga slammed her car into Eugene's, which crashed into the other end of the booth. "OW! I'm okay."

The bell to end the ride then rang, and Arnold stood thinking to himself..

 _I know the whole point of the game is to hit all the other cars as hard as you can, but it almost seemed like she was protecting me._

The group left the ride, and Helga approached her friend to say "Guess no one warned you about car number four, huh bucko?"

"No. Have you ridden in it before?"

Helga rolled her eyes, knowing that meant he really didn't care to notice her last year (at least not when he was interested in Ruth).

"Pheebs and I went flying across the park in the car. I told her to put the pedal to the metal. Pttss...A lot of good that did us when we had no control over the car." Helga crossed her arms, annoyed at the memory of what had happened to them that night.

 _The Beeper Emporium_

Bob looked to see Olga busy writing in the break room and asked "What's that? A list of customers?"

Olga waved her hand as she laughed at her father's assumption and said "No daddy. I'm coming up with ways to spend time with Helga."

"Fine. Try to slip some sales in there though would ya?" Bob requested before leaving the room.

 _Cheese Festival_

The four friends were passing the most widely known ride at the fair; The Tunnel of Love.

"Criminy. Will you look at that line?" Helga pointed at the crowd of people waiting to see who they'd be paired up with in the romantic tunnel.

"It is a rather pleasing part of the festival." Phoebe felt the need to admit.

"Pttss...yeah right. Like anything's so pleasing that it's worth spending half the night waiting in line to risk being paired with someone who makes you want to gag."

Gerald rolled his eyes at Helga's attempt to keep her cool, while Phoebe refrained from speaking her opinion. Once it seemed Helga was through commenting on the attraction, Gerald turned to Phoebe and asked "Want to ride with me babe? All we have to do is count which number we are on each side."

The small girl smiled sweetly at the offer and nodded "That would be delightful Gerald."

Without thinking twice, the calm boy took his favorite girl's hand to lead her over to the ride.

This left Arnold and Helga standing alone, with the choice of finding something else to do together, or riding the ride.

"I guess we could grab something to eat while we wait for them to get back." Arnold suggested, while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Fine by me."

 _Tunnel of Love_

After matching their numbers up right, Gerald and Phoebe stepped into a boat together. The swan led them down the river into the dark tunnel of hearts and stars.

"So you think those two will ever give in to each other?" Gerald asked Phoebe.

Knowing how nervous her friend was in these situations, Phoebe replied "I'm afraid if Arnold's not willing to be more upfront with his feelings, Helga will never find the courage to confess."

"Yeah. Aren't you glad it's not us?" Gerald wrapped his arm around the giggling girl.

 _Snack Stand_

Arnold and Helga sat quietly eating cheese from practically every country. He almost felt guilty for not asking Helga to go one the ride. While he wanted her to be happy, he didn't want to make her do anything she didn't want to do.

"So, what's your favorite kind of cheese?" Arnold asked, hoping to break the awkward silence.

"As long as it doesn't have strawberries, I'm willing to eat it." Helga sighed, implying what a large appetite she had.

Arnold gazed at his friend with half lidded eyes who was staring at her plate and said "I don't think that's true."

Helga cocked her brow at the accusation, and turned her head to ask "What's that supposed to mean hairboy?"

A lot of thought had been put into whether or not Helga had deep feelings for him ever since he found out she was Cecile. If she wasn't pulling a prank on him, she had to have possessed some sort of feelings for him.

"You didn't seem to like those cow brains and eggs too much." he winked.

Helga blushed heavily, kicking herself inside forever setting up that date. She didn't have the courage to tell him it was her that night, so what good did it do her?

After her cheeks were through flushing, she managed to make eye contact again with the sweet boy and scoffed "Pttss...it's not _my_ fault those people don't have an English version of the menu. Criminy, how many bad reviews do you think they've gotten because of that?"

"Whatever you say Helga."

 _Fifteen Minutes Later_

Gerald and Phoebe were holding hands as they approached their best friends sitting near the snack stand.

Helga watched the overly content look on her friend's face and prayed someday soon, she'd be lucky enough to feel that way with Arnold.

"Hey man. Ready to go?" Gerald asked.

"Yeah. Did you have a good time?" Arnold wondered. Thinking back to his few experiences on the ride, something told him Gerald's couldn't have been any worse.

"Yeah, it was great!"

The group headed for the exit, while Helga thought to herself a moment. She finally got to spend a nice evening at the cheese festival with Arnold. He brought up Cecile, and didn't seem bothered by the fact that it happened. Was he enjoying her company?

 _The Beeper Emporium_

Helga entered the store to see Miriam passed out on the sofa. Bob was nowhere in sight, which to her meant he must be working on some sort of plan to improve the business, that she already knew would fail. No one wanted beepers anymore.

The tired girl then entered the break room to see her sister at the table. "Hello baby sister! Did you have fun tonight?"

"Yeah. You bet." Helga said in a sarcastic tone.

"That's wonderful! I've been putting together a list of special things to do together! I'm so sorry about daddy. He means well." Olga insisted, as she wrapped her arms around her younger sister.

Helga had a hard time believing that, but she couldn't change Bob. Even if Olga tried making Helga look good, Bob was always going to see Olga as number one.

Helga then pushed her older sister aside and said "Whatever, I'm going to bed."

"Okay! Good night baby sister!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13: The Most Beautiful Gift

It was April Fools Day. While Arnold had never been a big fan of it, there was one family member who just couldn't get enough of it.

 _Arnold's Kitchen_

Phil watched his grandson enter the kitchen for breakfast before school that morning. "Morning grandpa."

"Hey there shortman. Have a seat right here."

Arnold took his grandpa up on the offer and sat down on a whoopie cushion. After hearing the unpleasant noise release from under him, the blonde boy heard his grandpa scream…

"APRIL FOOLS! HAHAHA!"

"Grandpa…" Arnold sighed, as he tapped his fingers against the table.

"Oh lighten up shortman it's April Fools day!

After reminding his grandson of the fun holiday, the two boys turned their heads to see Pookie entering the kitchen.

"Oh happy Groundhogs Day everybody! I saw my shadow, and you know what that means!"

"We know Pookie...12 more days of Christmas." Phil sighed.

After watching the old lady prance into the other room, Arnold stood up and said "Well, I better get going. See ya later grandpa."

"Bye shortman. Here, take this apple for lunch."

 _Walk_

Arnold left the house with the stream of pets to see Gerald waiting outside for him. "Hey man, ready for school?"

"I guess."

"You think Pataki will go easy on you this year?" Gerald wondered, knowing what an interesting time he and Helga shared last April Fools Day.

"I hope so." the innocent boy said, just as he was taking a bite of his apple.

"Pttsss….."

Gerald watched his friend spit out what turned out to be a piece of wax fruit. Placing his hands on his waist, he watched his friend spit out the remainder of the _apple_ and said "Well if not, we could always ask your grandpa for help."

 _P.S.118_

April Fools Day was an exciting school day for Arnold's fourth grade class, and fifth grade was no exception.

Eugene was at his locker talking to Sheena before class started. "I'm so excited about the dance tonight! I hope I win King of Fools again!"

"You looked so lovely with your crown last year." Sheena reminded him, thinking back to the moment it was placed on him.

"Thanks Sheena…."

The perky boy turned around when he felt someone tap on his shoulder.

"Oh, hi guys!" the enthusiastic boy said when seeing Harold, Stinky, and Sid behind him.

"Hey Eugene. We have something for you." Sid said, as he watched Harold hand their classmate what appeared to be a can of stringed beets.

"For me? Gosh thanks you gu...WHOA!"

The students began to erupt with laughter as they watched a spring snake pop out of the can.

"HA HA! You got pranked!" Harold teased the gullible boy, while pointing a finger at him.

"He's a regular target!" Stinky laughed.

The students then looked to see Gerald heading down the hallway. The cool boy approached his friends and listened to Sid ask "Hey Gerald. Where's Arnold?"

 _Water Fountain_

Arnold was rinsing his mouth at the fountain when he felt himself being sprayed in the face. The startled boy fell to floor, as he opened his eyes to see a proud prankster.

"April Fools football head! Haha!"

"Good one Helga." Arnold coughed, as he helped himself off the floor.

"Brace yourself bucko. After last year, don't think for a second that I'm going easy on you." Helga laughed with her hands on her hips.

Gerald approached to find Arnold ringing out his hair, having overheard what Helga said to him. As they watched her walk away, the placid boy said to his friend "She says that like she went easy on you _last_ year."

 _Classroom_

Mr. Simmons entered the room to see all the students waiting in their desks. "Good morning class! I'm sure you're all excited about the very special April Fools Dance we'll be having again."

"I'd like to point out how inappropriate I found it to be that someone was allowed to open the pool without permission. Thanks to their carelessness, my new outfit was ruined." Rhonda felt the need to mention.

"Well technically they weren't allowed to Rhonda. It was a prank played without permission." Mr. Simmons hesitantly explained, before being interrupted.

"What moron would ask permission to play a prank? Why not just walk up to Klutzilla and say 'Hey would you mind slipping on this for me?' Sheesh." Helga scoffed, leaning her head in her hand on her desk, bewildered at her teacher's ignorance.

"If it means being crowned King of Fools again, I'd be more than happy to slip on something for someone!" Eugene smiled.

"That won't be necessary Eugene. Now let's get started on Math. We were reviewing decimals yesterday." Mr. Simmons reminded the class.

Arnold pulled out his Math book, ready to start the lesson. After getting his book and some paper out, he knocked his pencil off the desk.

The blonde boy watched it go rolling across the floor to the front of the row his desk was in. Thankfully, Mr. Simmons didn't feel his student rising to grab the writing utensil was disrupting the class. At least, not at first…

"Gross!"

The class burst into laughter when they saw Arnold returned to his seat, only to sit in a puddle of paste.

"Ha Ha! Arnold wet his pants!" Harold pointed at the the wet spot on his friend's rear.

Helga chuckled at the prank she had just played, and had no intention of stopping there.

 _Cafeteria_

"So, I'm guessing you don't plan on wearing that shirt to the dance tonight?" Gerald said, pointing at the wet spot on the back of Arnold's sweater.

The boy who was currently being used as target practice grabbed himself a tapioca and said "I'm just going to wear the suit I wore when I took Helga last year."

"Why not just blind her again? That way you can wear whatever you want?"

"Gerald…"

 _Table_

"Are you looking forward to the dance Helga?" Phoebe asked her prank playing friend.

"Well doi! Of course I am Pheebs. Someone's got to be there to mess with football head!"

The small girl took notice of the evil smile on her friend's face and said "Have you considered using this as an opportunity to enjoy each other's company?"

"For crying out loud Pheebs. April Fools Day is about setting someone up, not feeling them up. Speaking of which, I'll be right back." Helga assured her friend, as she rose from the table.

 _Lunch line_

"If I was you, I would have checked to make sure none of that was wax before paying for it. You know Pataki's just as sneaky as your grandpa." Gerald reminded his friend.

Arnold then looked over to see the pigtailed girl heading their way.

"Hey Helga." he sighed, expecting another prank.

"Hey football head. I just came to say I saved you a seat. You know, to apologize for the whole paste thing."

Gerald lifted an eyebrow, knowing she had to be up to something.

"Really? Thanks Helga." Arnold smiled, following her over to a table across the cafeteria.

Helga removed a 'reserved' sign she had placed on the empty table. After seating the boys there, she said "Well, enjoy football head."

"What was that about?" Gerald wondered, still carrying a questioning look.

"What do you mean?" Arnold asked, while pulling out his sandwich.

The usually calm boy glared at his friend and said "I _mean_ that girl's been fighting the chance to open up to you all year. Now she chooses April Fools Day to show some leniency?"

"Oh come on. She just…" Arnold began to hush his friend, before having a lunch tray fall on him that had been sitting on top of the cabinet behind his table.

The room laughed at their friend's inconvenience, while Arnold stood covered in expired food, and listened to someone shout from around the corner "Oh man! I got you good!"

Arnold rolled his eyes as he began wiping off his sweater. While the blonde boy began heading for the restroom to wash what he could off himself, Gerald noticed the guilty stare on Helga's face.

The regretful girl stood, watching her beloved walk away drenched in filth, until she heard someone say "So is that your way of flirting, or are you and Phil that much alike?"

 _Restroom_

Arnold stood before the sink, scrubbing what he could off himself. Although he hoped to get as much off as possible, the idea of not being able to didn't bother him as much as it did last year. He was so furious by the time lunch rolled around last April Fools Day, he had to retaliate.

This time however, he was willing to just go with the flow. It made him think back to something else Phil had mentioned during his romance lesson speech…

 _You're okay with gross things._

 _Hallway_

After scrubbing off what he could, Arnold entered the hallway to see someone waiting for him.

"Helga?"

"H-hey Arnold." the guilty girl said, with her hands behind her back.

"What are you doing out here?"

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I mean, not that you didn't deserve it after what you did to me last year, but being the amazing person that I am, I could afford to go easier on you." she rattled, rubbing her arm anxiously.

Arnold smiled softly at her attempt to make amends, while still doing her best to maintain her reputation. Maybe it wasn't fair of him to expect her to be so bold with her feelings again, when he still hadn't implied strongly enough how he felt about her.

"Would you like to go to the dance with me tonight? It should be more fun now that I'm aware you're not blind." he winked.

Rolling her eyes at his comment, Helga scoffed "Yeah, yeah. Just watch your back. Klutzilla hasn't been crowned King of Fools yet."

"Whatever you say Helga."

 _Classroom_

Lunch soon ended, and the students were back listening to Mr. Simmons go on about the importance of the different food groups. Helga sat slouched in her chair, her head in her hand, gazing at her beloved.

What did he have in store for them that night? Although they hadn't come out and said they wanted to date, it was making her heart race with joy how much closer they were becoming. The assurance that he wasn't repulsed by her, and that she was capable of being around him without pretending to be repulsed. She could only pray the dance would go just as smoothly.

 _A Few Hours Later_

"Okay class. Enjoy your afternoon. I will see you tonight at the dance!" Mr. Simmons exclaimed, after hearing the last bell.

The students began grabbing their things and heading for the door. Arnold turned to look at Helga and said "Would you like me to pick you up for the dance?"

Not wanting Arnold to have to deal with her family, Helga shrugged her shoulders and said "Eh, I'll just see you there. Later Arnoldo."

Arnold stood by his desk, watching Helga leave. Gerald came up beside his friend and said "Mm, mm, mmm. Your grandpa still got that blinding light box?"

 _Walk_

"Are you excited about the dance Helga?" Phoebe asked, as they were walking towards the emporium.

Helga shrugged her shoulders at the question and scoffed "Pttss...it doesn't matter if I am. I don't have anything nice to wear now that 99.99% of my family's things have been repossessed."

Phoebe portrayed a sympathetic look as she replied "I'm deeply sorry Helga. I'm sure my mother has something suitable for you, if you'd like to come to my house before the dance?"

Helga smiled at her friend's never ending attempt to help with her problems and said "Sure Pheebs. Thanks."

 _The Beeper Emporium_

"I'm so excited mommy! I talked to the principal, and he said I'm welcome to assist with the dance tonight!" Olga exclaimed.

"That's good. That's good." Miriam muttered, as she sat at the breakroom table with a mug of coffee.

Bob then entered the room, where he saw his oldest daughter grabbing a few bags of paper plates and cups.

"What's all that for?" he wondered.

"I'm helping with baby sister's dance tonight! Isn't it fantastic!" Olga exclaimed, as she began gathering everything she needed to take with her.

"Dance huh? Will there be anyone there to sell these beepers to?" Bob asked hopefully.

"No daddy. They're just there to have fun."

"Fine. Fine." Bob sighed, leaving the room.

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold was upstairs, changing for the dance. He looked over himself in his black suit and aqua tie that matched his hat well. Looking at himself in it made the night of the last April Fools Dance seem like it was yesterday.

Dragging Helga around the dance floor, anticipating the moment he'd be throwing her into the pool, showing her the joke turned out to be on her. How different would things be tonight?

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Come in."

Phil entered the room to see his grandson getting a last look at himself before heading for the school. "Hey shortman. Ready for your dance?"

"Yeah. I don't have to worry about Helga being blind this time." he smiled, knowing that was one thing he could look forward to.

"Hehe Well good luck tonight shortman." Phil said, holding his hand out to shake his grandson's.

Arnold smiled at the gesture, loving the support he always received from his grandparents in times such as these.

ZAPPPP

"HAHA! April Fools!" Phil shouted, after Arnold looked to see the buzzer in his grandpa's hand.

"Grandpa…"

"Sorry shortman. Couldn't resist."

 _P.S.118_

"That sure was a great prank we pulled on Eugene this morning!" Sid said to Harold and Stinky.

"Ha ha yeah! I aint never heard him scream that loud before." Stinky laughed at their classmate's inconvenience.

"Hey! You know what would be funny? If we put some glue on the crown. That way...that way when he puts it on, he won't be able to get it off!"

The boys stared at their friend's suggestion, until Sid asked "What if we get caught?"

"I'm the boss and we're doing it!" Harold demanded.

Moments later, Arnold and Gerald came walking into the gymnasium. Arnold began searching the room for Helga. The first thing that caught his eye was the snack table, and the person running it.

"Hey, what's Olga doing here?" he asked Gerald.

The tranquil boy shrugged his shoulders, not having heard anything about it.

Arnold approached the table, having a feeling Helga wasn't too thrilled about this. "Umm hey Olga."

"Arnold! How are you?!"

"Okay. Are you working here tonight?" he asked, after receiving a cup of punch of Olga.

"Oh yes! I've been coming up with ways to spend time with baby sister. I feel so bad that daddy doesn't have more free time to spend with her. I'm going to do whatever I can to make up for it."

Arnold's shoulders began to tense, knowing how much Helga was going to disapprove of the idea.

The blonde boy then turned away from the table with his drink and listened to his friend say "Mm, mm, mmm. This is definitely not good."

 _Fifteen Minutes Later_

Phoebe and Helga were walking down the hallway towards the gym. Helga borrowed a midnight blue dress with spaghetti straps from Phoebe's mother.

"I must say, you look lovely tonight Helga."

Helga was wearing her hair down, had a pair of black heels, and some blue eye shadow. "Thanks Pheebs. You don't look half bad yourself."

The intelligent girl was wearing a red mini skirt and sweater. A pair of black heels and some red lipstick.

The girls entered the gym, looking for the boys. Much like when Arnold entered, the first thing Helga noticed was Olga.

"Criminy! What is she doing here?"

"What's wrong Helga?"

"What's wrong? Why don't you take a look at the snack stand and tell me what's wrong?" Helga snapped with her hands on her waists.

Phoebe turned her head to see Olga standing there, pouring punch for their classmates.

"Oh dear. I'm terribly sorry Helga. Perhaps all will still go well tonight."

Crossing her arms at the supportive remark, Helga leered "Pttss...yeah? How do you figure?"

The upset girl then felt someone tap her shoulder. Helga uncrossed her arms and turned to see a friend had been waiting for her.

"Hey. You look nice."

The sweet boy's words cleared Helga's mind of her sister's presence and replaced it with the overwhelming thought of her having just been complimented by the love of her life.

"Well gee. Thanks Arnold."

Arnold held out his arm to lead her towards the dance floor. While holding her arm, he asked "So, did you know your sister was going to be here?"

Helga cocked her brow at what she considered to be a ridiculous question and replied "Are you kidding? What the heck makes you think I would have shown up if I knew she was going to be here?"

Arnold couldn't protest everything Helga said about her family. Just because he considered her lucky to have one, didn't mean the way they always treated her was acceptable.

"Well, I'm glad you're here."

After letting out a heavy swoon she was incapable of hiding, Helga smiled and said "Eh, beats sorting beepers."

 _Stage_

"Hey Sheena. We're going to take the crown to be polished." Sid said, while anxiously holding out his hands for the award winning piece.

"Oh how kind of you! Here you are." Sheena said, more than willing to hand it over.

"Great. Thanks." Sid replied, as he began to sneak away with Stinky and Harold.

After rounding the corner of the stage, Harold shouted "Alright! We got it!"

 _Snack Stand_

"I cannot believe they turned down my Queen of Fashion idea, and are once again going with a King of Fools." Rhonda sneered, as she held her punch in one hand, and her other on her waist.

Olga couldn't help but listen in on the venting Rhonda was doing to the other pre-teens and said "Ooohh! We had a Queen of Fashion at my college! The semester I started interior design, my teacher decided to award me with the title!"

"That sounds just ever so exciting Big Sis!" Lila exclaimed, still thinking of Olga as her sister from the Big Sis - Little Sis program.

"Ever so exciting. Isn't she just the cutest!" Olga screeched, waiting for the other girls at the table to agree with her.

"After me, she is the most coveted girl in class." Rhonda admitted.

 _Dance Floor_

Most of the kids were in the middle of the dance floor, swinging their hips to disco music. Arnold and Helga were enjoying each other's company, until an announcement was made…

"Okay everybody. It's time to Tango!" Mr. Simmons announced from the stage.

Arnold and Helga faced each other, both on the verge of blushing. Now that Helga wasn't pretending to be blind, she would have to willingly accept to dance with Arnold… that is IF he asked.

Arnold looked at his friend, nervously rubbing her arm. She apologized for her behavior earlier that day. Even with her rough pranks, she had proven to have deep feelings for him (whether or not they were romantic). It was his turn to reciprocate.

"Would you like to dance Helga?"

The sound of these words made her heart flutter. Arnold actually wanted to dance with her. It wasn't out of guilt, or because he felt it was the right thing to do. It was just something he wanted to do with her.

"Uhh sure Arnold."

The short boy began dragging his friend across the gym floor just like he had the previous year. Although she wasn't blind, just the thought of Arnold wanting to do such a thing with her made her feel helpless.

Arnold watched this beautiful girl he never took the time to notice. Dancing with her, thinking this, reminded him of how beautiful she looked when he thought she was Cecile. That thought led him to the memory of the important point she made to him that night…

 _The most beautiful gift can come in the plainest box_

Helga's eyes darted from every corner of the gym, seeing all their friends' eyes were on them.

"It is hard to believe I didn't know who you were on Valentine's Day." he laughed.

Helga rolled her eyes at his stupidity and scoffed "Yeah well, that'll teach you not to shoot for sixth graders."

Just as the dance was ending, Arnold dipped Helga as he did during their last dance and said "No. It taught me the most beautiful gift can come in the plainest box."

Helga's eyes fell into a soft daze. A warm smile formed on her face as she continued to watch Arnold hold her. They could have stayed like that forever, had they not heard…

"Alright boys and girls! Time to announce the King of Fools!"

Sheena walked up to the stage with the results in her hands. She opened the envelope with the microphone in front of her. "This year's winner is….Eugene!"

The light was turned to the clumsy redhead who was just as excited as he was the last time he received it. "Me? Gosh! Two years in a row! What are the chances?"

The clumsy boy made his way to the stage in time to hear Sheena say "Wait, where's the crown?"

"Oh, oh my. Did we lose it?" Mr. Simmons asked worriedly.

The students all looked around the gym, until they heard "Here you go Mr. Simmons."

"Oh thank you Sid!"

The cowboy boot wearing pre-teen left the stage with an evil smile on his face, as he raced off to find Harold and Stinky.

Mr. Simmons then placed the crown on top of the jinxed student. After his robe was given to him, Eugene attempted to march down the stage.

Being the uncoordinated boy that he was, he slipped on his robe, went tumbling down the stage, and rolling across the floor.

"OW! I'm okay!"

"Man, after all that, his crown still didn't come off." Gerald pointed out, having watched the whole scene.

After assuring his friends he was fine, the jinx stood, trying to adjust his crown.

"Hey, my crown feels funny?"

Sid, Stinky, and Harold all laughed in the corner, knowing Eugene was about to discover they covered the crown with super glue.

"Oh dear. Let me see if I can get it Eugene." Mr. Simmons offered, while pulling firmly on the piece.

"Ow…" Eugene moaned.

The class laughed at the entertainment, while Gerald shook his head and said "Mm, mm, mmm. That is truly sad."

 _Beeper Emporium_

After the dance ended, Arnold decided to walk Helga back to the emporium. "I hope Eugene's going to be alright."

"I'll start to worry when something like that _doesn't_ happen to him." Helga replied, knowing how much more unusual that would be.

"I guess. Well, I really did have a nice time tonight."

Helga blushed at the comment, as the two stood in front of the emporium. "Thanks. I did too. Eugene really did outweigh you being the King of Fools this year bucko."

"Whatever you say Helga."

Arnold waved goodbye and headed for the boarding house. Helga stood watching her beloved walk away after a sweet night spent together, praying her sister wouldn't be there to interrupt whatever their next fun activity together may be.


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay...As you read this, I'm sure you'll see half of it is just the script from the beginning of the Jungle Movie, while the other half is bits I threw in to describe how everything happened. I suppose I could have just rewritten it. However, the whole point of this story was to lead up to this moment, so I didn't see the point in changing anything.**

 **Hope you enjoy :)**

Chapter 14: Something Else Came Up

The final month of fifth grade had arrived. What every student looks forward to each year, is summer vacation at the _end_ of the year.

Arnold and Gerald were walking down the sidewalk, excited to know they would soon be sixth graders. When rounding the corner of the street, Arnold bumped into a familiar face…

"Arnold! I mean, I said everybody out of my way hairboy! Jeez. What are you blind? Don't you even know how to not crash into people?"

After standing to dust himself off, Arnold kept a smile and asked "Got one more Helga?"

"Ha. Good one. Maybe you should get walking lessons for your birthday Arnoldo."

"Whatever you say Helga." the patient boy sighed, believing her tough act less and less as the days went by.

"Ooh good comeback. Come on Pheebs!"

While the boys watched the girls head for school, Arnold stood standing a moment, thinking about the last thing his grandpa said he would eventually notice about a girl… their quirks.

For a long time Helga's scowling, insulting nicknames, and threats were unfathomably annoying. Now he was just seeing it as part of her. Maybe she was a nice, normal, sensitive person, but that didn't mean she didn't possess a few _interesting_ quirks.

 _P.S.118_

Arnold had spent all day wondering how differently Helga would be acting once school ended. They would have summer to spend together, meaning plenty of personal time if she still wasn't comfortable opening up around others. How long would it take her though? The thought didn't bother him too much, seeing as how he hadn't done the most remarkable job coming forward with his feelings either. By the end of the day, A new thought was brought to his mind however.

This school year, Mr. Simmons class received an exciting opportunity for how to spend their summer break.

The students were all sitting in their desks, waiting for the last bell to ring. While some couldn't take their eyes off the clock, others were willing to pay Mr. Simmons their full attention for the exciting announcement he was said to be giving.

"Class! We've been selected to compete in a very special contest! A great humanitarian organization in Central America is sponsoring it. They build habitats that provide living space in the rainforest, and they want to celebrate kids that exemplify their spirit!"

Raising her hand in curiosity, Phoebe asked "Mr. Simmons. What do we have to do to win the contest?"

"Excellent question Phoebe! We submit a video presentation of our class being humanitarians in our own neighborhood."

"What's the prize?" Sid wondered.

Full of anticipation, Mr. Simmons turned his attention to his high spirited student. "Curly…"

The boy began drum rolling as the perky teacher made his proud announcement "A class trip to San Lorenzo!"

"Is that the new Mexican restaurant?" Harold wondered.

"Nah. That place has been there awhile." Stinky informed him.

"Close Stinky. It's a beautiful, proud republic to our south. This is where we'll go if we win the contest…"

"To a Mexican restaurant!" Harold screamed in excitement.

Rubbing his head in frustration, Mr. Simmons replied "No, to San Lorenzo the country, and the organization that will host us is called 'Helpers for Humanity.'"

Arnold's eyes lit with anticipation at the sound of these words. It was as if destiny was calling his name.

Gerald knew exactly how this must have made his friend feel. Leaning over to whisper towards Arnold, the tranquil boy said "San Lorenzo? It's almost like this contest was designed for _you_."

The bell then rang to start the students' summer break. The class raced past the teacher, acting as though his news on the trip had gone in one ear and out the other.

All except two students that is.

Mr. Simmons looked to see Arnold and Gerald remaining in their desks.

"I'll do it!" Arnold happily volunteered.

"I will too!" Gerald said enthusiastically.

A familiar smile formed on the teacher's face as he acknowledged his student and said "Great! We're on our way to winning! It's due in a week!"

The boys' exciting facial expressions turned to somewhat discouraging ones when they heard how pressed for time they were. It was Arnold's only hope to find his parents however. He couldn't give up that easily.

 _Beeper Emporium_

Bob sat on the sofa with a notepad, tapping a pencil against the arm of the couch. "I gotta think of something to attract some customers."

"Oh! You know what you could do daddy? My art teacher had all types of displays made every time she wanted us to paint something."

"A display huh? That's not a bad idea." Bob thought out loud.

The businessman began drawing what he thought would be an attractive display, when he heard the door to the store being opened.

"Hello baby sister! How was school?!" Olga waved to her younger sibling.

Helga tossed her bag aside and began walking past her sister as she scoffed "Great now that it's over."

"Silly sister. Now that your break's starting, that gives us lots more time to spend together!" Olga pointed out.

Helga's shoulders began to tense, as she turned around and said "Uhhh actually Olga, I've got to get ready for a trip to San Lorenzo."

"San Lo-where now?" Bob asked, looking away from his notepad.

"Yeah. My class is planning a trip there. Guess that means we won't be spending much time together this summer either. Oh well." Helga replied before anxiously racing away from her sister.

 _Walk_

After being released from their final day of fifth grade, Gerald and Arnold began wondering town, hoping to find some inspiration for their project.

"Okay, we'll make the best video ever. We'll win this thing, go to San Lorenzo, and find your parents." Gerald assured his friend.

"Yeah, but the prize isn't a free trip for me to go looking for them." Arnold pointed out.

"True, but how can you _not_ try to find your lost parents. Especially when you've got your best friend to help."

After giving his best friend their secret handshake, Arnold pointed out they still had to find something for their project.

"Let's build a habitat for Monkeyman, right here on the river!"

Placing his hands on his waist, thinking about how Arnold's optimism never ceased to amaze him, Gerald replied "You're a bold kid Arnold."

 _One Week Later_

 _The Corner Store_

Olga was doing some grocery shopping for dinner when she ran into somebody. "Hello! Aren't you Helga's teacher?"

Mr. Simmons turned to face the overly enthusiastic girl waving at him and replied "Yes. Nice to see you again Ms. Pataki. It was wonderful having you at the dance."

"Oh I had so much fun. I'm looking for any chance I get to spend time with my baby sister."

"That sounds very special." Mr. Simmons smiled.

"Yes, but. she said she's going on a class trip to San Lorenzo this summer?"

A concerned look grew on the teacher's face as he pointed out "Well, we haven't won yet. If we do, you're welcome to come along as a chaperone."

"Oh goody!"

 _The Pier_

Moments after completing their week long project for Monkeyman, the habitat collapsed. Gerald watched his discouraged friend turn around and listened to him say "That was my last chance to find my parents."

Lurking nearby was another classmate who had been getting front row seats to the building of the habitat all week. Just because their fort was finished for didn't mean her stalking was however.

The pigtailed girl followed her beloved down the city until they once again met face to face by turning the corner of a street.

Shoving her classmate aside, Helga dusted herself off and scowled "Sheesh Arnoldo watch it! Quit crashing into me! So, taking a walk and thinking about how you've completely flopped in winning the San Lorenzo contest. Ha. This just in. You equals failure."

Arnold ignored the angry gesture and moped "Actually, I was just kind of thinking about my life, and how I haven't seen my parents since I was a baby. I wish I could see them again."

Helga uncrossed her arms and softened her expression after hearing these depressing words leave the sweet boys lips. "Well I...that's news. I mean if you wanted to talk about. Fee…."

Arnold's pet suddenly pulled him away before Helga's attempt to soften up caused her to have a stroke.

After watching her beloved run off, mixed with the fact she had once again failed at emotionally connecting with him, she was struck with quite possibly the best idea of her life…

"Aha! If I help Arnold win that trip to that crazy San Lorenzo and help him uncover the mystery of his long lost parents, maybe even find the lost losers, then Arnold will be eternally grateful, and might even return my love! It's win win! What a great plan!"

 _The Beeper Emporium_

Helga raced back to the emporium to see Bob working on what was meant to be a pyramid of beepers.

"Hey get over here and help me stack these would ya Olga?"

"It's _Helga_ dad!"

"Right. Right. Helga, that's what I said. Anyway, get over here and help would ya?" Bob asked.

"I can't. Why don't you get the _real_ Olga to do it. Sheesh!" Helga snapped, as she raced for the attic.

"Hey! You watch your mouth missy!" Bob threatened, not realizing his daughter was long gone.

 _Phoebe's House_

Phoebe was laying on her bed, enjoying a book that wasn't required for school when she saw a football shaped shadow appearing in her bedroom.

The intelligent girl looked at the image, knowing it was a signal from her best friend, indicating an emergency meeting.

 _The Beeper Emporium_

Having made it to her friend's secret stash of what had gone from piles of journals to stacks of videos, Phoebe helped Helga sort for useful footage of Arnold.

"Phoebe I need a hero video. Stat!"

"Right. Arnold tapes 155E, 17C, 101F. Pulling." the loyal girl chirped.

Turning on the computer, Helga impatiently waited for the video to start "How does this thing -oh!"

After watching a few tapes of her beloved's hero work, she knew it was going to take more than sending in a bunch of random footage to win the contest.

"Now we need someone to actually make something of all this."

 _Gerald's House_

The girls stood on Gerald's porch, waiting for him to answer the door.

"Since when does Geraldo know anything about technology?" Helga leered with her laptop in one hand, and her other on her hip.

"Trust me Helga. Gerald has an impressive amount of experience in making videos. He and Arnold put together a film on Mr. Green they were kind enough to show me."

Rolling her eyes at the excuse, Helga scoffed "Pttss...whatever."

The girls then looked to see their friend answering the door. "Hey guys. What's up?"

"Good evening Gerald. We have some footage we believe could win the trip to San Lorenzo. That is, if you'd be kind enough to assist us."

 _Twenty Minutes Later_

"This is an epic story you're asking for Helga! Where'd you get this footage?"

"Security cameras okay?!" the nervous girl screeched.

"Uh huh. All labeled and organized in perfect sequence. Whoa! That's Arnold's bedroom. How'd you…"

"Nevermind!"

"Major creep factor aside. You know this footage is what we need to win the contest. I thought you hated Arnold? Why are you suddenly helping him?"

While Helga was struggling to come up with an excuse, Gerald and Phoebe laughed at one another, knowing the truth. If only she'd be willing to admit it.

"Because otherwise I've got to watch that stupid football head mope all summer!"

"Okay I'm in, but only if you get everybody to help." Gerald warned her.

"No problem. They can just talk to Ol' Betsy."

"Alright. Let's do this!" Gerald stood to shake his classmate's hand.

 _Bus Ride_

While his friends were working to make his dreams a reality, Arnold was taking a long bus ride across the city.

All year, he had been thinking about the feelings he had for Helga and the ones he was learning to believe she had for him. They were getting older, which made it easier to believe she was capable of feeling that way about someone (even if it was him).

So many little things had happened between them that caused him to consider possibly having _big_ feelings…

Shopping for a Halloween costume

Watching Fireworks on Thanksgiving

Spending Christmas in the park

Attending Rhonda's New Year's Eve Party

Talking about Cecile

Hanging out at the Cheese Festival

Enjoying the April Fool's Dance together

Now an old problem had been addressed to take his mind away from this. As much time as they had spent together recently, neither of them had done anything to confirm their feelings for the other. The thought of losing his parents wasn't going to be outweighed by a relationship that technically didn't exist yet.

 _The Next Day_

 _Rhonda's House_

After a night spent of calling her classmates, Helga, Phoebe, and Gerald began their talks with everyone they knew would make a great edition to the video.

Opening the door for her friends to enter her large, lovely home, Rhonda asked "Now tell me exactly what this is for?"

"Well Rhonda. Helga came up with the brilliant idea of portraying a video that indicates what an amazing example of a humanitarian Arnold is."

"Well, as long as I'm _in_ the video, I suppose I'd be willing to humble myself a bit."

 _The Boarding House_

Phil entered the kitchen to see his energetic wife chopping watermelon for breakfast. "He-yaw!"

"Morning Pookie. You seen Arnold?" Phil asked, not having seen his grandson since yesterday.

"Ahh I believe the young grasshopper is still on a walk."

After watching the older lady smash the melon into the wall, Phil turned to leave and mumbled "Can't say I blame him."

 _Harold's House_

"You...you mean, I get to be in a movie? Alright! Is it an Evil Twin movie?" Harold asked excitedly.

"I'm afraid not Harold. We're simply asking everyone to explain what Arnold did to help them better themselves." Phoebe explained.

"Aww gee."

"Oh put a sock in it Pink boy! He helped you lose 500 lbs, got your selfish butt to your bar mitzvah, got you to give up that dumb cat before the police took matters into their own hands. Now pick something to talk about before Ol' Betsy decides for you!" Helga pointed a finger and scowled.

"Okay...Madam Fortress Mommy." Harold crossed his arms and mumbled at the order.

 _P.S.118_

"Mr. Simmons, the deadline for the video has passed. Are you and your students not interested in the trip to San Lorenzo?" Principal Wartz asked the teacher.

A worried look formed on the teacher's face as he replied "Umm well yes we are. We just weren't able to find a video to send into the Helpers for Humanity."

 _Walk_

"Who should we speak with next Helga?" Phoebe wondered, while carrying the camera down the sidewalk.

Helga rubbed her chin, wondering who would have some useful information for their video. She then turned her head to see lights on at P.S.118.

"Let's search the school. If they're dumb enough to spend part of their vacation in school, I'm sure they needed football head's help at some point."

 _P.S.118_

The kids walked inside to see Big Patty beating a third grader.

"Look you little skeeze! I heard the jokes you made about me on our last day. Now apologize or I'll shove you in your own locker!"

"Oh dear. Should we interfere Helga?" Phoebe asked her friend.

The determined girl marched forward, not letting anything stand in the way of completing the video. "Hey Patty!"

The sixth grader turned to see a familiar face calling her name. "Huh?"

"If it's not too much trouble, may we ask you a few questions." Phoebe requested, while the tough girl continued to hold the smaller child against the locker.

 _Ten Minutes Later_

"Thanks for the info Patty." Helga said to the girl leaning against the locker.

"No problem." the sixth grader replied, hoping to hide the fact that there was a third grader trapped in the locker.

Helga and Phoebe began to leave the school, just as they saw Mr. Simmons approaching them

"Oh brother."

After listening to her friend sigh, Phoebe pointed out "Perhaps it's a good thing we're running into him now. We can inform Mr. Simmons of our plan for the trip."

Before giving her response, Helga heard "Wonderful to see you Helga! Phoebe! Are you enjoying your break?"

"As a matter of fact, we've been using it to put together a video for the Helper's for Humanity project. That is, if they'll accept a late submission?" Phoebe asked hopefully.

Mr. Simmons smiled at the gesture and replied "Oh how wonderful! Send it to me when you're finished, and I'll show it to them."

"Thank you Mr. Simmons!" Phoebe waved excitedly, while following her friend out the school.

 _Lila's House_

"I'm just ever so excited you're doing this for Arnold." Lila said, knowing how much her friend deserved to find his parents.

"We appreciate your help Lila." Phoebe informed the sweet girl who expected nothing in return.

"You're just ever so welcome!"

"So you think your 'ever so perfect' self can handle the dangers of San Lorenzo?" Helga scoffed.

"Oh my daddy would never let me go on that trip. Even if he did, I'm ever so certain I couldn't leave him alone." Lila smiled, thinking about her sweet parent.

 _Later That Evening_

After a day of filming, Helga and Phoebe met up with Gerald, who had spent the day speaking with people he felt would be of good use to them.

"Well, let's get to work on this video!" Helga insisted.

"I feel we may need a few more people if we're going to have a chance of getting this finished quickly." Phoebe assured them.

Helga frowned as she pointed a finger at her two friends and scowled "Look, I've opened up enough showing everyone how great I think Arnold is by volunteering him to be the star of this little Hollywood film. I'm not about to lose complete control of my dignity by inviting our judgemental classmates to view my personal items."

Crossing his arms, with an evil smile on his face, Gerald replied "You must not care about him that much then."

Helga could feel her heart stop. Did she care about Arnold enough to completely humiliate herself? She'd proven she was capable of opening up around him. More and more people were becoming at least suspicious of her feelings towards him. Would depriving Arnold of the chance to find his parents be worth hiding information that technically wasn't still a secret?

 _The Beeper Emporium_

After picking a few people Helga knew she could easily pound if they gave her any trouble, she led Harold, Sid, Phoebe and Gerald all back to the Emporium.

Bob watched her, Phoebe, Gerald, Sid and Harold wonder past him to head for the attic. "Hey! Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey. What are all these kids doing here? This is a beeper store, not a public school?"

"Relax _dad_...you won't be seeing us."

"Well good. Hey while you're heading towards the break room, grab me a tall frosty one would ya Olga? I've been working on this display all day."

Helga grunted at the request and listened to Harold say "Olga? I thought your name was Helga? Isn't Olga your sister?"

"Oh put a sock in it and follow me! Sheesh." the irritated girl snapped.

The group followed the blonde girl up the stairs, to a back room where a broomstick head was hanging.

"What's that thing?" Sid asked.

"None of your beezewax." Helga snapped.

After pulling the cord to raise the broomstick head, the gang watched Helga slide down the pole it had been covering.

"Let's go." Phoebe motioned for the hesitant group of pre-teens to follow.

"Whoa! Where'd you get all these videos?!" Sid asked in amazement.

Helga gulped at the question, not knowing how to explain without simply saying 'I've been stalking Arnold.'

"Yeah, and show me the one you made of me earlier today!" Harold pleaded.

Helga rolled her eyes and scoffed "We haven't made it yet. Doi!"

"Gerald, if you'd like to help me clip our gathered footage together, Helga can call everyone to meet us at Arnold's tomorrow evening."

"Sounds good to me babe."

 _The Next Night_

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold was dropped off by the bus at the boarding house. He walkup up the porch steps with Abner and was greeted by Phil at the door.

"Well, that was one long sad walk. I almost rented your room out."

"Hey grandpa." the depressed boy sighed.

"Someone's here to see you. They're up on the roof." Phil pointed towards the stairs.

"The roof? Who is it?"

"I don't know. I just work here shortman." the elderly man shrugged his shoulders, hoping to hide the surprise.

Arnold went to the roof to find a great surprise waiting for him….

ARNOLD! ARNOLD! ARNOLD!

"This is incredible! Everybody's here!"

After being motioned by his best friend to take a seat, the astounded boy watched a well thought out video of every wonderful act he had performed to help the town.

Each grateful person's words brought tears to the young boy's eyes as she said "Thank you all so much, but aren't we too late to enter the contest?"

The perky teacher took that as his que to rise and deliver the wonderful news he'd been having a hard time keeping to himself. "I have wonderful news Arnold. After Helpers for Humanity saw this video, we were instantly selected to go to San Lorenzo. That's right everyone! We Won!"

The town got up to celebrate what turned into a huge party on the blonde boy's roof. Arnold looked at his best friend, assuming it had been his idea.

Gerald then pointed the spot light towards the mastermind behind the plan and said "You should thank Helga. You should see all the footage she has of…."

"The things...around the city. Amazing!" the jittery girl finished, not wanting her beloved to know just how obsessed she was with him.

Arnold smiled his soft smile, seeing once again proof of what a great person she was. "Wow. Thank you Helga."

The simple touch of his hand sent a shock through her. Just knowing she did something for him that mattered (and that much) was heartwarming.

 _A Few Hours Later_

The party was ending, and Helga was long gone. Arnold's grateful attitude put her in too great a daze to stay put at the party.

When Olga finally noticed her sister was no longer there, she turned to Arnold and said "I'll see you later! Thanks so much for having us!"

"See ya later Olga." Arnold waved.

After hearing her say her goodbyes, Mr. Simmons went to stop the giddy college student. "Ms. Pataki."

"Yes Mr. Simmons?"

"Would you still like to come along as a chaperone for the trip?"

Olga's eyes sparkled with glee as she clapped her hands and said "Oh goody! I'd love to."

The boys watched Helga's sister leave the roof, as Gerald shook his head and said "Mm, mm, mmm. This is definitely not good."

Although Gerald was implying Arnold should brace himself for the bad attitude this would create Helga to have, his mind was no longer on his love life. For the first time ever, the blonde boy was given, not just hope, but encouragement he'd be seeing his parents.


	16. Chapter 17

_Epilogue_

The vulnerable look Helga wore, as she held out (what she considered to be) her rejected heart.

 _I might have something that would work…_

Standing there, eyeing the gold piece that withheld his picture, Arnold realized not just how good she was, but how good they were _together._

Ever since the moment he heard about the trip, seeing his parents was his number one priority. Knowing how or why it happened wasn't as big a deal as long as it _did_ happen. Yes it was great Helga got him there. As appreciative as he was though, it wasn't going to take his mind away from finding his parents.

 _It's a heart. I think it could fit. This is just gold plated. It's not a very pure heart._

What did they consider to be a pure heart? In the crow's nest, Helga insisted she deserved at least a _little_ recognition for getting him to San Lorenzo to begin with; the last thing on his mind. Now here she was not feeling worthy of anything, yet still willing to help.

 _I don't know. I think your heart is more pure than you know._

This tough girl thought poorly of herself. Even when she poured her heart out to the one she loved, it took all the strength she possessed, all the courage inside her to do so. Her whole life she refrained from speaking the truth of her feelings, because she felt she was the last type of person Arnold deserved to be with. What type of pure hearted person scowls, calls people insulting names, strangles them, or performs any rough behavior whatsoever?

Now here she was, being told how wrong she was for having that opinion of herself. Why would she spend all those years fearing the opinion of who she felt was the most pure hearted person alive?

Even if this amazing gesture did save his parents, that didn't change the fact he implied that he was rejecting her in the crow's nest.

After the miracle of his parents' awakening was performed, the ecstatic boy noticed their hero off in the distance.

 _Helga?_

The shy boy approached, gathering the courage to do what they both knew what needed to be done.

 _AHHH! Hey Arnold._

She had already been humiliated by not just confessing, but pouring her heart out, only to be rejected twice.

She wasn't about to make it seem as though she needed his picture to cling to if he wasn't willing to actually be hers.

 _Helga, I've known you my whole life practically, and you've always been angry and kind of...mean._

One of the things she loved him for was his pure heart. Pure means honest; he was simply speaking the truth. Despite that simple fact, it didn't mean her imperfections outweighed her amazing qualities.

They were all just parts (or quirks) of the girl he fell in love with. No matter how attractive or annoying a quality is, you're willing to accept it about the person you have feelings for.

 _Yeah! So?_

So, where was he going with that? It didn't sound like a thank you. She just destroyed whatever shred of dignity remained inside herself to wake his parents up. What made him have the nerve to complain about her anger?

 _But, I've also seen you be really loyal and super brave. So I always wondered if you did those things, because...you loved me._

It always seemed crazy that Helga G. Pataki had intense feelings for him. The biggest bully in school loving the biggest do gooder in school? Yet, aside from Gerald, who else stood by him through everything? Who else was with him whether they found his ideas to be brilliant or stupid? Who else was bumping into him on every street in the city?

 _Love? Pttss...you? I mean well yeah, sure. Like I'd love a root canal."_

Being rejected doesn't just hurt; it's embarrassing. Not only that, it makes it seem as though you were just denied something you _needed._ Every time it's brought up after that, your rejector _pities_ you, wondering how you're doing having been denied your request. Why would she allow him to think it in any way bothered her? Or allow him to think she ever even cared?

 _Listen I know you tried to tell me before, and I wasn't ready to hear it. But now, this whole thing… the trip to San Lorenzo, getting away from La Sombra, finding my parents. It's all because of you; your locket._

All because of her. Not only was she loyal, she was giving. Another trait a pure hearted person possessed. In a way, her fear made her modest. Because she never wanted him knowing her secret, she couldn't allow herself to take credit for any nice thing she did for him.

 _Locket? What locket?_

She only showed it to do a good deed; not to be _reminded_ of a _bad_ incident.

 _Your locket! It woke up my parents! You did it all. Just to help me. And...and…._

While he couldn't bring himself to say the words, he trusted she would return his feelings. As he stood there implying how he felt, Helga at last gathered the courage to show him he had been right all along.

The two stood hand in hand, amazed at everything that had happened within the past year. Helga finally had the boy of her dreams, and who was said to be Arnold's arch nemesis, turned out to be the girl of his dreams.

 _Mm, mm, mmm! Okay NOW I've seen everything_

Sure he knew it was bound to happen after the way things had gone the past year. Still, you have to see it to believe it.

 _ **THE END**_

 _ **THANKS FOR READING**_

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW!**_


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